Governor Newsom announces appointments 10.24.25

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Maurice Lyles, of La Mesa, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Intergovernmental Relations at the California Environmental Protection Agency. Lyles has been Southern California Regional Director at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2024, where he was Regional Director of Greater San Diego and Orange Counties from 2019 to 2024. He was a Research Associate at the University of California, San Diego from 2018 to 2019. Lyles was a Program Manager at San Diego Youth Development Office from 2016 to 2017. He held multiple roles at the Office of Senator Barbara Boxer in the United States Senate from 2010 to 2016, including Field Representative and Constituent Representative. Lyles earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and African American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,008. Lyles in a Democrat.

Emily Wimberger, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief of Staff and Policy Advisor to the Chair at the California Air Resources Board. Wimberger has been Managing Partner at Hua Nani Partners since 2023. She was a Climate Economist at Rhodium Group from 2019 to 2023. She held multiple roles at the California Air Resource Board from 2013 to 2019, including Chief Economist and Air Pollution Specialist in the Cap-and-Trade Market Monitoring Section. Wimberger was a Researcher at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2011 to 2013. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis and a Bachelor of Science degree in Energy, Environmental, and Mineral Economics from Pennsylvania State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $210,000. Wimberger is a Democrat.

Marco Bárcena, of Bell Gardens, has been appointed to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Mountains Conservancy Governing Board. Bárcena has been a City Councilmember at the City of Bell Gardens since 2018, where he has previously held multiple roles since 2000, including Administrative Specialist, Recreation Leader IV, Pool Manager, Lifeguard, and Senior Lifeguard. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Technology and Consumer Behavior) from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $75 per diem. Bárcena is a Democrat.

Linh Tran, of El Monte, has been appointed to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Mountains Conservancy Governing Board. Tran has been a Field/Ranger Crew Lead at Angeles National Forest Arcadia for the United States Department of Agricultural Forest Service since 2025 and a Program Coordinator at Day One since 2025. Tran earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $75 per diem. Tran is a Democrat.