SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Mark Cowin, 53, of Sacramento, has been appointed director of the California Department of Water Resources. Cowin has served as director and acting director of the California Department of Water Resources since 2010. From 1981 to 2010, Cowin served in multiple positions at the Department of Water Resources, including junior civil engineer and deputy director. He is a licensed civil engineer and has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers since 1992. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $165,000. Cowin is a Democrat.
Maria Carmen Ramirez, 63, of Oxnard, has been appointed to the California Commission on State Mandates. Ramirez has been an attorney at the Law Offices of M. Carmen Ramirez since 2009. She was the community planning director at the Central Coast Alliance for a Sustainable Economy from 2008 to 2009 and a senior attorney at the Self Help Legal Access Center of the Ventura County Superior Court from 1998 to 2007. Ramirez served in multiple positions at the Channel Counties Legal Services Association from 1978 to 1998, including staff attorney, managing attorney and executive director. She was a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Foundation of Long Beach from 1975 to 1978. Ramirez is a member of the Ventura County Bar Association, the Ventura County Mexican American Bar Association, the Ventura County Community Foundation and the St. John’s Regional Medical Center Advisory Board. Ramirez earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Ramirez is a Democrat.
Jeanette Royal, 59, of Grass Valley, has been appointed to the 17th District Agricultural Association, Nevada County Fair Board, where she has served as a member since 1993. She has been a realtor at Network Real Estate since 2003. Royal was a financial consultant at A.G. Edwards and Sons from 2000 to 2003. She was a realtor associate at Alta Sierra Real Estate from 1995 to 2000. Royal was the owner and facility manager of Royal Oaks Arabians from 1982 to 1996 and was an adult education teacher for the Grant Union High School District from 1977 to 1980. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Royal is a Republican.