SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Nancy Bargman, 50, of Long Beach, has been appointed deputy director of the community services division at the Department of Developmental Services. Bargman has been the executive director at Home Ownership for Personal Empowerment, Inc. since 2010. She worked in multiple positions at the Mentor Network from 1998 to 2009, including vice president of operations, and also served in a number of roles at the Inland Regional Center from 1985 to 1998, including community services director. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $124,008. Bargman is a Republican.
Ronnie Caplane, 63, of Oakland, has been appointed chair of the Workers Compensation Appeals Board, where she has served as a member since 2003. She was a freelance writer and columnist for the Piedmonter and the Montclarion from 1992 to 2006. Caplane was a partner at Bruynell and Caplane from 1983 to 1985 and a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division from 1979 to 1982. Caplane received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $132,179. Caplane is a Democrat.
Susan Lee, 49, of Tiburon, has been appointed to the California Law Revision Commission, where she has served since 2003. She has worked as deputy attorney general and supervising deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice since 1989. Lee received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $50 per diem. Lee is a Democrat.
Chester “Chet” Widom, 71, of Los Angeles, has been appointed state architect of the Division of the State Architect. Widom served as senior architectural advisor to Build-Los Angeles Community College District from 2009 to 2011. He was a partner at Widom Wein Cohen O’Leary Terasawa from 1964 to 2008. Widom was a member of the executive committee of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Bond Oversight Committee from 2010 to 2011 and a member of the Hospital Building and Safety Board from 2004 to 2010. He was a commissioner for the Los Angeles Planning Commission from 2002 to 2004 and a commissioner for the Building and Safety Commission for the City of Los Angeles from 2000 to 2004. He was elected to the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission, where he served from 1998 to 2000. He was the national president of the American Institute of Architects in 1995. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $142,964. Widom is a Democrat.