Kerry Fleisher, 39, of Oakland, has been appointed Chief Policy Advisor to the President at the California Public Utilities Commission, where she has served as Interim Energy Policy Advisor to the President since 2022. Fleisher held multiple positions at the California Public Utilities Commission from 2017 to 2022, including Advisor to Commissioner Guzman Aceves and Senior Analyst in the Energy Division. She was a Senior Program Associate at the U.S. Energy Foundation from 2011 to 2017 and a Program Coordinator at SF Community Power from 2007 to 2009. Fleisher earned a Master of City Planning degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $162,672. Fleisher is a Democrat.
Karen Douglas, 49, of Davis, has been appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission. Douglas has been Senior Advisor for Energy in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2022. She was a California Energy Commission Member from 2008 to 2022. Douglas was Director of the California Climate Initiative for the Environmental Defense Fund from 2005 to 2008. She held several positions at the Planning and Conservation League from 2001 to 2005, including Acting Executive Director and General Counsel. Douglas earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and a Master of Public Policy degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Colorado Boulder. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $187,936. Douglas is a Democrat.
John Reynolds, 39, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Public Utilities Commission, where he has served since 2021. Reynolds was Managing Counsel at Cruise LLC from 2019 to 2021. He held multiple positions at the California Public Utilities Commission, including Interim Chief of Staff to Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma in 2018, Advisor to Commissioner Carla Peterman from 2015 to 2018 and Public Utilities Counsel from 2013 to 2015. He was an Associate at De la Pena & Holiday LLP in 2012. Reynolds earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $187,936. Reynolds is a Democrat.
Virginia Joy Simmons, 69, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California African American Museum Board of Directors. Simmons has been Senior Art and Exhibition Advisor for Destination Crenshaw since 2020. She has been Faculty at the Center for Medical Education for Kaiser Permanente since 2000 and a Radiologist at Kaiser Permanente since 1983, where she is now semi-retired. Simmons is a member of the National Medical Association and the boards of the Mistake Room and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Simmons earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Simmons is a Democrat.
Bismarck A. Obando, 45, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the New Motor Vehicle Board, where he has served since 2010. Obando has been Director of Public Affairs at the League of California Cities since 2011. He was Director of External Affairs in the Office of the Governor from 2007 to 2011, where he served as Deputy Appointments Secretary in 2007. Obando was a Legislative Analyst in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research from 2004 to 2006 and Project Manager at the Local Government Commission from 1996 to 2004. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Obando is a Democrat.
Brady Schmidt, 52, of Irvine, has been appointed to the New Motor Vehicle Board. Schmidt has been President of National Business Brokers Inc. since 1991. He has been Dealer Principal and Partner of Puente Hills Ford and Dealer Principal of Jerry V’s Honolulu Hyundai and Windward Hyundai, since 2022. He is a member of the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Board of Directors and the RTwelve National Governing Board. Schmidt is chairman of the Board of Directors for Floodways.org and a founding board member of Giving Hope Hawaii. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Schmidt is a Republican.
James D. Haskin, 44, of Fremont, has been reappointed to the Building Standards Commission, where he has served since 2022. Haskin has been Director of Pre-Construction at All Temperature Service Air Conditioning Inc. since 2005. He was Chief Estimator at Air Systems Inc. from 2001 to 2005. Haskin is a member of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Haskin is a Republican.
Laura Rambin, 53, of Oakland, has been appointed to the Building Standards Commission. Rambin has been Principal at Studio Bondy Architecture since 2013. She was an Architect at Starkweather Bondy Architecture from 2003 to 2013 and at SMWM from 2000 to 2003. Rambin was a Designer at Michael Stanton Architecture from 1996 to 2000. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects. She earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rambin is a Democrat.
Joanne Hayes-White, 58, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun, where she has served since 2019. Hayes-White has been Northern California Director for the Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein since 2022. She was Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department from 2004 to 2019, where she served in several positions from 1990 to 2004, including overseeing the Support Services Division, the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Program and the Training Division and Dispatch Communication System. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $600 per month. Hayes-White is a Democrat.
Robert Carr, 55, of Walnut Creek, has been reappointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun, where he has served since 2019. Carr has been a Pilot for the San Francisco Bar Pilots since 2011. He was Master at Chevron Shipping Company from 1990 to 2011. Carr served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1990 to 2002. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Carr is Republican.