SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Sara Murillo, 60, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Administration at the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Murillo has been Deputy Director of Administration at California Complete Count Census 2020 since 2018. She was a Chief Financial Planning and Business Services Fiscal Officer at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 2015 to 2018. Murillo was Chief of Administration for the Forensic Services Division at the California Department of State Hospitals from 2013 to 2015 and Chief of Accounting and Fiscal Systems at the California Department of Mental Health from 2007 to 2013. Murillo was an Accounting Manager at the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from 2003 to 2007. She was a Contract Officer at the California Department of Transportation from 2002 to 2003. Murillo was Business Services Manager at the California Department of Information and Technology from 2001 to 2002. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $138,600. Murillo is not registered to vote.
Suzanne M. Martindale, 39, of Oakland, has been appointed Senior Deputy Commissioner of Consumer Financial Protection at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Martindale has been Senior Policy Counsel and Western States Legislative Manager at Consumer Reports since 2010. She has been a Lecturer in student loan law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law since 2019. Martindale was a Pro Bono Attorney at East Bay Community Law Center’s Consumer Justice Clinic from 2015 to 2018. She is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Martindale earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in humanities from the University of Chicago. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $167,004. Martindale is registered without party preference.
Geoffrey Ross, 45, of West Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Assistance – Federal Programs at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he has served as Assistant Deputy Director of Financial Assistance since 2020. Ross was Executive Director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission from 2019 to 2020. He served in several positions at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency from 2007 to 2018, including Assistant Director of Development and Federal Programs and Redevelopment Manager/Federal Programs Manager. He was an Administrative Analyst II at the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Pittsburg from 2006 to 2007 and was a Community Planning and Development Representative at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2002 to 2006. Ross served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Corporal from 1994 to 1998. He is a member of the California Association of Housing Authorities, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, National Community Development Association, the American Legion, Urban Land Institute, and the American Planning Association. He earned a Master of Planning degree in urban planning from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $159,000. Ross is a Democrat. Jennifer Seeger will continue serving as an appointee in her capacity as Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Assistance – State Programs.
Madison C. Baldoni, 25, of Roseville, has been appointed Awareness and Response Team Intelligence Analyst at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, where she has served as an Intelligence Analyst since 2018. She was Legal Support Intern at Kershaw, Cook & Talley in 2016, 2017 and 2018. She was an Assistant Paralegal Intern at the Seattle City Attorney’s Office from 2017 to 2018. Baldoni was a Research Assistant for the Criminal Justice Department at Seattle University in 2017. She was a Legal Intern at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services in 2016. Baldoni is a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $80,712. Baldoni is a Democrat.
Edwin F. Lowry, 69, of Sacramento, has been designated Chair of and reappointed to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, where he has served since 2011. He was Part-Time Hearing Officer for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation from 2009 to 2011. Lowry served as a Deputy Attorney General in the California Attorney General’s Office from 2005 to 2007 and from 1988 to 1995. He was Director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 1999 to 2005, Director of the Environmental Project of the California District Attorneys Association from 1995 to 1999, a Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office from 1987 to 1988 and a Partner at Grueneich and Lowry from 1985 to 1987. Lowry is co-founder of Californians Against Waste and a member of the Congregation B’Nai Israel and Symphony d’Oro Rancho Cordova. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $143,925. Lowry is a Democrat.
Ryan Brooks, 50, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Brooks has been Executive Vice President of Government Affairs at Outfront Media since 2002. He is a member of the California State Board of Pharmacy, Industry Trade Advisory Committee and California International Relations Foundation. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Brooks is a Democrat.
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