SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Monika Giebitz, 41, of Auburn, has been appointed Deputy Director of Legislation at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, where she has been Chief of Legislation since 2013. Giebitz was a Legislative Analyst at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection from 2009 to 2013 and 2005 to 2008 and a Staff Services Analyst at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services from 2008 to 2009. Giebitz earned a Master of Arts degree in English from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,244. Giebitz is registered without party preference. Kelly Welchans, 41, of Davis, has been appointed Chief Counsel at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Welchans has been a Deputy Attorney General in the Natural Resources Law Section at the Office of the California Attorney General since 2017. She was an Associate at Arnold & Porter LLP from 2007 to 2017. Welchans earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $185,004. Welchans is a Democrat. Sean Burrows, 50, of Lodi, has been reappointed to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, where he has served since 2019. Burrows has been Fire Captain at the Alameda County Fire Department since 2010. He is President of the International Association of Firefighters, Local 55. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Burrows is a Democrat. Kenneth Miller, 67, of San Jose, has been reappointed to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, where he has served since 2019. Miller has been Medical Director at the Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services Agency since 2016. He was Assistant Medical Director at the Orange County Emergency Medical Services Agency from 1999 to 2016. Miller was Medical Director at the Orange County Fire Authority from 1997 to 2016. He is a member of the Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Association of California. Miller earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmacology from the Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Miller is a Democrat. Karen Relucio, 54, of Napa, has been reappointed to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, where she has served since 2019. Relucio has been Public Health Officer and Deputy Director at the Napa County Health and Human Services Agency since 2015. She held several positions at the San Mateo County Health System between 2006 and 2015 including Assistant Health Officer and Medical Director at the Public Health Clinics, STD/HIV Program and Medical Director of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program. Relucio is President of the Health Officers Association of California and a member of the Napa Solano Medical Society Board of Directors. Relucio is a member of the California Conference of Local Health Officers, where she served as President from 2019 to 2021. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Rush University Medical College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Relucio is a Democrat. Jose Solorzano, 39, of Rialto, has been reappointed to the State Independent Living Council, where he has served since 2019. Solorzano has been a Community Health Representative at the Inland Empire Heath Plan since 2017. He was a Disability & Senior Outreach Coordinator at Molina Health Care from 2015 to 2017. Solorzano was a Benefits and Resource Specialist at Southern California Rehabilitation Services from 2007 to 2012. He is a member of the Inland Empire Disabilities Collaborative. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Solorzano is a Democrat. Ligia Andrade Zuniga, 42, of Foster City, has been reappointed to the State Independent Living Council, where she has served since 2018. Andrade Zuniga has been a Board Trustee for the San Mateo Union High School District since 2020. She has been a Commissioner at the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities since 2013. Andrade Zuniga has been a Commissioner on the San Mateo County Health Commission since 2017. She has been Board Vice-Chair at the Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities since 2013. Andrade Zuniga is Secretary for the San Mateo County LatinX Dems Club and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union – North Peninsula, the National Council on Independent Living, and the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Notre Dame de Namur University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Andrade Zuniga is a Democrat.###