Golden State Today

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a series of appointments to various state positions. Mayumi Kimura from Temecula has been appointed as Deputy Secretary of Woman Veterans at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Kimura, who founded Warriors Insight Therapy in 2022, previously worked at Lowell Vet Center and Middlesex Sheriff’s Office among other roles. Her position does not require Senate confirmation and offers a compensation of $154,860.

Justin Turner from Sacramento is now Chief Counsel at the California Department of Conservation. Turner has been with the department since 2008, serving as Assistant Chief Counsel since 2015. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco. This role also does not require Senate confirmation and comes with a salary of $208,440.

Anthony “Tony” Marino has been named Deputy Director of Energy at the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety. Marino was previously Deputy Director for Underground Infrastructure within the same office since 2022. His new position does not need Senate approval and pays $175,512.

Travis Nichols will serve as Cyber Incident Response Manager at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Nichols has extensive experience in cybersecurity roles including his time with Level9 Group and Smith & Nephew. The position offers a compensation package worth $137,616 without requiring Senate confirmation.

Lynda Hopkins from Sebastopol joins the California Air Resources Board while continuing her role as Fifth District Supervisor on Sonoma County's Board of Supervisors since 2016. Her appointment requires Senate confirmation but carries no compensation.

Dawn Ortiz-Legg from San Luis Obispo is also appointed to the California Air Resources Board alongside her current duties as Third District Supervisor on San Luis Obispo County's Board since 2020. Like Hopkins’ appointment, this too requires Senate confirmation without financial remuneration.

Tina Thomas becomes part of the Wildlife Conservation Board after serving as Of Counsel at Downey Brand LLP since 2023 and having an extensive legal career dating back to 1979 with various firms including founding Thomas Law Group Sacramento in 2012.

Frances “Fran” Pavley is reappointed to continue her service on the Wildlife Conservation Board where she has been active since 2018 alongside her role as Environmental Policy Director at USC Schwarzenegger Institute.

Lastly, Travis Clausen from Garden Grove joins the Underground Safe Excavation Board following his tenure as Regional Construction Manager – Aviation and Defense at Sully-Miller Contracting Company starting in 2025.

These appointments reflect diverse professional backgrounds across military service, law practice, public administration roles among others contributing their expertise towards Californian governance initiatives.

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