SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Jim Cooper, of Elk Grove, has been appointed to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Cooper has served as Sacramento County Sheriff since 2022. He served as a California State Assemblymember from 2014 to 2022 and as Mayor and a member of the City Council for the City of Elk Grove from 2000 to 2014. Cooper was a Captain at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department from 1984 to 2014. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Cooper is a Democrat. Barry Donelan, of Concord, has been reappointed to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, where he has served since 2017. He has been a Sergeant for the Oakland Police Department since 2006 and was an Officer there from 2000 to 2006. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Donelan is a Democrat. Geoffrey Long, of Sacramento, has been designated Chair of the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, where he has served since 2016. Long was Policy Director in the Office of the State Senate President pro Tempore from 2014 to 2016. Long was Chief Consultant in the State Assembly Appropriations Committee from 1996 to 2014. He served in several positions with the State Assembly Ways and Means Committee and Budget Committee from 1984 to 1995, including Chief Consultant, Staff Director and Principal Consultant. He earned a Master of Theology degree from St. John’s University. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Long is a Democrat. James O’Rourke, of Shingle Springs, has been reappointed to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, where he has served since 2017. O’Rourke has served as a Sergeant at the California Highway Patrol since 2007. He was a California Highway Patrol Officer from 2000 to 2007. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. O’Rourke is a Republican. Eric Schmidt, of Fresno, has been appointed to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Schmidt has served as a Deputy Sheriff at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office since 1997. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Fresno City College since 2002. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Schmidt is registered without party preference.
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