SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:
Lila Mirrashidi, 34, of Redondo Beach, has been appointed deputy commissioner of policy at the California Department of Business Oversight, where she has been deputy commissioner of legal (business regulations) since 2013. Mirrashidi was deputy commissioner of business regulations at the California Department of Corporations from 2012 to 2013, deputy appointments secretary in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. from 2011 to 2012 and deputy research director on the Jerry Brown for Governor Campaign from 2009 to 2010. Mirrashidi earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $111,996. Mirrashidi is a Democrat.
Joseph Hedges, 57, of Seattle, Washington, has been appointed chief operating officer at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Hedges was program administrator of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program at the Washington State Department of Transportation from 2016 to 2018. Hedges has more than 35 years of experience in construction, engineering and project management in both the private and public sector, including as executive vice president and director of operations at the Coastal Environmental Group from 2012 to 2016 and as vice president, chief engineer and director of design at Pro2Serve from 2008 to 2012. Since retiring as captain from the U.S. Navy, Corps of Civil Engineers, where he served in several positions from 1984 to 2008, Hedges has worked extensively on complex facility and transportation design and construction projects. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $337,008. Hedges is a Democrat.
Pamela Mizukami, 51, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief deputy director at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Mizukami has been deputy director of the Administrative Services Division at the California Department of Motor Vehicles since 2010, where she has served in several positions since 2006. She served in several positions at the California Department of General Services from 1993 to 2006, including electronic data processing acquisition manager and senior electronic data processing acquisition supervisor. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $169,560. Mizukami is a Democrat.
Guillermo Viera Rosa, 43, of Riverside, has been appointed director of the Division of Internal Oversight and Research at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Viera Rosa was an advisor to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Adult Parole Operations from 2017 to 2018 and principal of Viera Consulting LLC in 2017. He served in several positions at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2000 to 2013 and 2009 to 2017, including director of adult parole operations, parole administrator, parole agent supervisor and parole agent. Viera Rosa served in several positions at the Board of Parole Hearings from 2004 to 2009, including deputy commissioner, correctional counselor supervisor and parole agent specialist. He was an instructor at the Riverside County Office of Education from 2003 to 2004 and a deputy probation officer at the San Bernardino County Probation Department from 1995 to 2000. Viera Rosa earned a Master of Arts degree in social science from Azusa Pacific University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $153,504. Viera Rosa is registered without party preference.
David Long, 52, of Tehachapi, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings. Long has been vice president of prison engagement at Defy Ventures since 2017. He was warden at California City Correctional Facility from 2014 to 2016 and held several positions at Ironwood State Prison from 2008 to 2014 and 1995 to 2002, including warden, chief deputy warden and correctional counselor. Long was associate warden at Mule Creek State Prison from 2006 to 2008, facility captain at the Adelanto Community Correctional Facilities Complex from 2002 to 2006 and a correctional officer at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison from 1989 to 1995. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $147,778. Long is a Republican.
Joy Higa, 50, of Manhattan Beach, has been reappointed to the California State Teachers’ Retirement Board, where she has served since 2014. Higa has been vice president of regulatory affairs at the UnitedHealth Group since 2010, where she has held several positions since 2006, including vice president of government affairs and vice president of regulatory and external affairs. She was deputy chief of staff for policy at the California State Controller’s Office from 2005 to 2006, where she was policy director from 2004 to 2005. Higa served as chief deputy secretary for cabinet affairs in the Office of Governor Gray Davis in 2003, deputy director for plan and provider relations at the California Department of Managed Health Care from 2000 to 2003 and director of health sciences governmental relations at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1998 to 2000. She was manager of government relations at PacifiCare Health Systems from 1996 to 1998. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Higa is a Democrat.