Governor Newsom announces appointments 5.8.2026
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Joshua Hurlbert, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been appointed Chief Technology Officer of the California High Speed Rail Authority. Hurlbert has been Director of Information Technology at Brightline West Trains since 2023. He was Director of Information Technology at Front Gate Tickets/Ticketmaster from 2017 to 2023. Hurlbert was Senior Information Technology Associate at Texas A & M University from 2014 to 2017. He was Information Technology Field Engineer at Tan Mar Communications from 2013 to 2014. Hurlbert served as Tactical Communications System Specialist in the United States Army from 2005 from 2013. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $218,256. Hurlbert is registered without party preference.
Stephen “Steve” Kawa, of Cloverdale, has been appointed to the California High Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors. Kawa has been Founder and Principal at Steve Kawa Strategic Advising since 2018. He was Chief of Staff in the Office of San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee from 2011 to 2017. Kawa was Chief of Staff in the Office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom from 2004 to 2007 and 2008 to 2011. He served as Program Manager of the Willie L. Brown Jr. Leadership Program at San Francsico State University from 2007 to 2008. Kawa served in various roles in the Office of San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. from 1996 to 2004, including Deputy Chief of Staff, Legislative Director and Board Liaison. Kawa earned a Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School and a Bachelor of Art degree in Political Science and Government from Merrimack College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Kawa is a Democrat.
Jason Elliott, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California High Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors. Elliott has been President of Versus Solutions since 2024. He was Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2022 to 2024, where he was previously Senior Counselor from 2019 to 2022. Elliott was Chief of Staff to San Francisco Mayors Ed Lee, London Breed, and Mark Farrell from 2017 to 2018. He previously held several positions in Mayor Lee’s administration from 2011 to 2016, including Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director. Elliott was Policy Advisor in the Office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom from 2008 to 2010. Elliott earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Columbia University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Elliott is a Democrat.
Guillermo Martinez, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists where he has served since 2023. Martinez has been a Harbor Engineer at the Port of Los Angeles since 2020, where he was a Senior Transportation Engineer from 2004 to 2020. He was a Transportation Engineering Associate at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation from 2001 to 2004. Martinez is a member of Los Angeles Professional Managements Association Board of Directors, Loyola Marymount University Civil Engineering Alumni Advisory Board, American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, Project Management Institute, and Institute of Transportation Engineers. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Loyola Marymount University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Martinez is a Democrat.