Golden State Today

Governor Gavin Newsom announced a series of appointments today, naming individuals to various state positions.

Marc LeForestier, based in Sacramento, has been appointed General Counsel at the Department of Cannabis Control. LeForestier previously served as General Counsel at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office since 2017 and held several roles within the California Department of Justice from 2000 to 2017. He is a member of the California State Bar, Public Law Section, and holds degrees from the University of Toronto and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and offers a compensation of $204,996. LeForestier is registered without party preference.

Joshua Eisenberg, also from Sacramento, has been named Deputy Director of Legal at the Department of Cannabis Control. Eisenberg has been Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the Cannabis Control Section at the California Department of Justice since 2022 and held multiple roles within the department from 2016 to 2022. He earned his degrees from the University of California, Santa Cruz and University of California, Davis School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and comes with a compensation package of $198,852. Eisenberg is a Democrat.

Marty Greenstein has been appointed Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Greenstein's recent role was Assistant Deputy Secretary of Communications at the California State Transportation Agency since 2020. His career includes positions with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and various media organizations as an editor and designer. He holds a degree in Journalism and Spanish from Syracuse University. This position does not require Senate confirmation with compensation set at $139,056. Greenstein is registered without party preference.

Florence Bernal has been named Chief Deputy Director of the California State Lottery. Bernal served as Special Advisor to the Director since 2019 and held several key roles under Governor Gavin Newsom during his tenure as Lieutenant Governor. Her background includes legislative positions dating back to 1999. She earned her degree from California State University, Sacramento in Speech Pathology and Audiology. The position does not require Senate confirmation with compensation amounting to $175,512 annually. Bernal is a Democrat.

Erin Rodriguez will serve as Director of Governmental Affairs at the California Public Utilities Commission following her role as Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs at CalRecycle since 2022. Rodriguez's experience spans advocacy roles with Union Concerned Scientists and legislative aide positions within the state assembly between 2015-2018. She holds degrees in Government from CSU Sacramento and Environmental Policy Management from UC Davis. The role does not need Senate confirmation with annual pay set at $155,760; she is affiliated with Democrats.

Jazmin Guajardo joins as Trustee on the Board for CSU after serving various leadership roles including Vice President for Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). Her background includes work as a Certified Nursing Assistant alongside student government engagement roles within CSUCI institutions like Educational Opportunity Program peer mentoring services among others highlighted above.The appointment entails per diem compensation rate($100); Guajardo identifies politically aligned towards Democratic affiliations currently active prominently via numerous voluntary undertakings amongst university-based groups/entities stated hereinabove explicitly too.