SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Richard S. Gordon, 64, of Menlo Park, has been appointed to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Gordon has served as an Assemblymember for the 21st Assembly District since 2010. He served on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors from 1997 to 2010 and was a member of the San Mateo County Board of Education from 1992 to 1997. Gordon served as executive director for Youth and Family Enrichment Services Inc. from 1976 to 1997 This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Gordon is a Democrat.
Zna Houston, 48, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California African American Museum Board. Houston is a senior assistant city attorney in the Labor Relations Division at the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, where she served as a deputy city attorney from 1994 to 2008. She was an attorney in private practice from 1992 to 1994. Houston served as director of membership for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses from 1992 to 1994, counsel for Fox Inc. from 1989 to 1992 and an associate attorney with Littler Mendelson from 1987 to 1989. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Houston is a Democrat.
Victor Law, 59, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to California Board of Pharmacy. Law has been chief pharmacist and president at Alpha Medical Pharmacy Inc. since 1987. He held multiple positions at Thrifty Corp. from 1982 to 1986, including pharmacy manager and staff pharmacist. Law was a staff pharmacist for Sav-On Pharmacy from 1979 to 1981. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Law is a Democrat.
Mark Polit, 64, of Oakland, has been appointed deputy director of policy and planning at the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Polit has been senior political and community organizer for SEIU since 2004. He served in multiple positions at the California Alliance for Inclusive Communities from 2000 to 2004, including executive director and president. Polit was principal at the Touchstone Consulting Group Inc. from 1994 to 2002, vice president of Roger Lamm and Associates from 1990 to 1994 and quality assurance manager and project engineer at TENERA LP from 1979 to 1990. He has been a member of the Alameda Developmental Disabilities Planning and Advisory Council since 1995, and has served as president and legislative chair. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $95,808. Polit is a Democrat.
Tom M. Rivera, 72, of Grand Terrace, has been appointed to the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. Rivera held multiple positions at California State University, San Bernardino from 1972 to 2011, including associate dean of undergraduate studies. He has been a commissioner of the San Bernardino Behavioral Health Commission since 2009 and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater San Bernardino since 1967. Rivera earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rivera is a Democrat.
Nancy Wright, 61, of Whitewater, has been appointed to the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board, where she served previously from 2000 to 2007. Wright has been vice president at Pete Wright General Contractor Inc. since 1997. She has been co-owner of The Wright Window Company since 1994 and was co-owner at Peter A. Wright General Contractor from 1977 until 1997. Wright has served as a member of the Mission Springs Water District Board since 1988. She is a member of the Groundwater Foundation, the Coachella Valley Associations of Governments, and the Desert Hot Springs Groundwater Guardians. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wright is a Republican.
Denise Pines, 45, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Pines has been the principal at Denise Pines Inc. since 2010 and was president at The Smiley Group from 1998 to 2010. She has owned and operated Pines One Publications since 1993. Pines served as mid-markets manager at AT&T from 1994 to 1998, public relations specialist at Neiman Marcus from 1990 to 1993, and associate manager at Louis Vuitton from 1988 to 1990. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree in international business from John F. Kennedy University and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Stanford University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Pines is a Democrat.
David Serrano-Sewell, 42, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Serrano-Sewell has been a deputy city attorney at the Office of the City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco since 2003. He was an extern for Judge Maxine M. Chesney at the United States District Court, Northern District of California in 2002 and an assistant to the director at the Department of Building Inspection for the City and County of San Francisco from 1998 to 1999. Serrano-Sewell was a special assistant to Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. from 1996 to 1998. Serrano-Sewell earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Golden Gate University School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Serrano-Sewell is a Democrat.