SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Eric Gelber, 65, of Davis, has been appointed assistant director of the office of legislation at the California Department of Developmental Services. Gelber has been chief consultant for the California State Assembly Committee on Human Services since 2008. He worked in multiple positions at Disability Rights California from 1983 to 2008, including staff attorney and managing attorney. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $115,008. Gelber is a Democrat.
Timothy Hsu, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed director of financing at the California Housing Finance Agency. Hsu has served as risk finance manager at the California Housing Finance Agency since 2005. He was vice president at Goldman Sachs and Co. from 2003 to 2005 and was a financing officer at the California Housing Finance Agency from 2002 to 2003. Hsu was a senior quantitative consultant at cfX Incorporated from 1995 to 2002. He is a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals and the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $189,996. Hsu is a Democrat.
Victor James, 54, of Sacramento, has been appointed general counsel at the California Housing Finance Agency. He has served as acting general counsel since 2011. James has served in multiple positions at the California Housing Finance Agency since 2002, including deputy general counsel, staff counsel and attorney under contract. He served as chief at the Driver Safety Branch of the California Department of Motor Vehicles in 2007. James was deputy prosecuting attorney at the County of Hawaii Prosecuting Attorney’s Office from 2001 to 2002 and an attorney at the Law Office of Victor James from 1998 to 2001. He was an attorney at Littler Mendelson from 1988 to 1998 and served as board counsel at the California Public Employment Relations Board from 1987 to 1988. James was legal counsel at the California Department of Personnel Administration from 1985 to 1987 and assistant counsel at the Department of the Navy, Office of General Counsel from 1982 to 1985. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $170,004. James is a Democrat.
Liane Morgan, 49, of Elk Grove, has been appointed chief information officer at the California Housing Finance Agency. She has served as acting chief information officer and acting information security officer since 2010. She has served in multiple positions at the California Housing Finance Agency since 1987, including senior programmer analyst supervisor. Morgan was a systems engineer at the Planning Research Corporation from 1986 to 1987 and Electronic Data Systems from 1984 to 1986. She is a member of Women in Technology International and Halau O Keikiali’i. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $137,496. Morgan is a Democrat.
Diane Richardson, 50, of Sacramento, has been appointed director of California Housing Finance Agency legislation and the California Mortgage Assistance Corporation. Richardson has served as director of legislation at the California Housing Finance Agency since 1999. She was deputy legislative secretary at the Office of the Governor in 1998 and director of legislation at the California Environmental Protection Agency in 1997. Richardson served in multiple positions at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research from 1983 to 1997, including deputy director of legislation. She served as a legislative assistant for the California State Assembly from 1980 to 1983. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $137,496. Richardson is a Republican.
Norman Williams, 46, of Elk Grove, has been appointed deputy director for the office of public affairs at the California Department of Health Care Services. He has served as deputy director for the office of public affairs since 2007. Williams was the director of communications for Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi in 2007. He served as assistant deputy commissioner to Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi from 2003 to 2007. Williams was assistant secretary for marketing and communications at the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency from 2000 to 2003 and director of communications at the California Manufacturers and Technology Association in 1999. He was a reporter at the Sacramento Bee from 1991 to 1999. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $114,024. Williams is a Democrat.
Sheila Lee, 57, of Cupertino, has been appointed to the California Building Standards Commission in the Local Building Official position. Lee has been a building official for the City of Santa Clara since 1999. She was an assistant building official for the City of Palo Alto from 1995 to 1999 and was a senior plan checker and plan check engineer for Santa Clara County from 1989 to 1995. Lee worked as a structural engineer at Engineering West Consulting Engineers from 1988 to 1989, Vossbrinck and Associates Inc. from 1987 to 1988, Rinne and Peterson Structural Engineers from 1984 to 1987, Chris Tse and Associates from 1983 to 1984, Nutech from 1982 to 1983 and HNTB Corporation from 1978 to 1982. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, San Jose and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lee is a Republican.
Erick Mikiten, 48, of Berkeley, has been appointed to the California Building Standards Commission in the public member/disabled position. Mikiten has been president of Mikiten Architecture since 1991 and was a lecturer and instructor at the University of California, Berkeley from 1990 to 1991. He earned a Master of Arts degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Mikiten is a Democrat.
Bill Slaton, 64, of Carmichael, has been appointed to the California Public Employees Retirement System Board of Administration. Slaton served as bank director at Placer Sierra Bancshares from 2002 to 2007 and was bank director at Sacramento Commercial Bank from 1997 to 2002. He was regional vice president at ePlus Inc. from 1992 to 2002, regional vice president at PacifiCorp Capital from 1987 to 1992 and regional vice president at Municipal Leasing from 1980 to 1987. Slaton was a marketing representative at Federal Leasing Inc. from 1977 to 1980 and a marketing representative at IBM from 1969 to 1977. Slaton has served on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District board of directors since 2002. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Slaton is a Democrat.