SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
John Garcia, 66, of Rancho Cucamonga, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings, where he has served as Deputy Commissioner and Administrative Law Judge since 2017. Garcia was an Attorney at the Law Office of John F. Garcia from 1997 to 2017. Garcia earned a Juris Doctor degree from Western State College of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,306. Garcia is a Democrat.
Julie Garland, 58, of San Diego, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings. Garland has been Senior Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General since 2006, where she was Supervising Deputy Attorney General from 2003 to 2006 and Deputy Attorney General from 1996 to 2002. She was a Law Clerk and Contract Attorney for appellate defender panel attorneys at the Fourth District Court of Appeal from 1995 to 1996. Garland was an Administrator at The Welsh School from 1990 to 1991. She was Program Director and Department Chair at Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA from 1987 to 1990. Garland earned a Master of Education degree in Special Education from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,306. Garland is a Democrat.
Lawrence Nwajei, 60, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings, where he has served as Deputy Commissioner and Administrative Law Judge since 2020. Nwajei was Staff Attorney at Baron & Budd from 2018 to 2020 and has served as Judge Pro Tem in the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2019. He was Principal Attorney at the Law Offices of Lawrence D. Nwajei from 1996 to 2018. Nwajei was Executive Director at Rexford Medical Corporation from 1990 to 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Nigeria. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,306. Nwajei is registered without party preference.
Kathleen O’Meara, 66, of Solano, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings. O’Meara has been Regional Mental Health Administrator at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since 2012, where she has served in several positions since 2006, including Chief Psychologist and Senior Psychologist Specialist at the California Medical Facility. She was a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist in private practice from 1988 to 2006. O’Meara was Staff Psychologist for the Conditional Release Program at the Department of Mental Health from 1988 to 1991. She was Staff Psychologist at the Department of Mental Health from 1985 to 1988. O’Meara earned a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s College and a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology degree from the California School of Professional Psychology. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,306. O’Meara is a Democrat.
Catherine Purcell, 65, of Vallejo, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings. Purcell has served as Presiding Judge at the State Bar Court of California since 2014, and as Review Judge there since 2008. She served as a Judge at the Kern County Superior Court, East Kern Division from 2001 to 2008. Purcell was Deputy District Attorney for the Kern County District Attorney’s Office from 1989 to 2001. She was Business Management Consultant at Merchant Overseas Property Group Ltd. from 1991 to 1992. Purcell was an Attorney at the Law Offices of Terry M. Giles from 1987 to 1989 and an Associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher from 1986 to 1987. Purcell was a Judicial Attorney Clerk for the Honorable Malcolm M. Lucas at the California Supreme Court from 1985 to 1986 and a Registered Nurse for the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail from 1981 to 1982. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,306. Purcell is a Democrat.
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