SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:
Michael Jani, 65, of Santa Cruz, has been appointed to the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Jani has been senior forestry advisor at the Mendocino Redwood Company and the Humboldt Redwood Company since 2012, where he was chief forester from 2008 to 2012. He was president at the Mendocino Redwood Company from 2008 to 2012, where he was chief forester from 2000 to 2012. Jani was chief forester at the Big Creek Lumber Company from 1975 to 1999. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jani is a Republican.
Clifford Allen, 51, of Fresno, has been appointed to the California State Board of Fire Services. Allen has been battalion chief at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection since 2014, where he has served in several positions since 1985. He is president of CAL FIRE Local 2881. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Allen is a Republican.
Brian Rice, 57, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California State Board of Fire Services. Rice held several positions at the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Protection District from 1985 to 2011, including deputy chief of operations, assistant chief and battalion chief. He was president of the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 from 2002 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2018. Rice is president of the California Professional Firefighters. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rice is a Democrat.
Brenda Bruner, 58, of Oakland, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Bruner has been manager of the Emergency Services Dispatch Unit at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office since 2012, where she was supervisor from 2006 to 2012 and dispatcher from 1987 to 2006. She was a communications officer at the University of California Police Department, Berkeley from 1985 to 1987. Bruner is a member of the National Emergency Number Association and a member and immediate past president of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bruner is a Democrat.
Troy Taira, 58, of Alameda, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings, where he was a commissioner from 2016 to 2017. Taira has been an administrative law judge at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2018. Taira served as special assistant inspector general at the California Office of the Inspector General from 2013 to 2015 and administrative law judge at the California Office of Administrative Hearings from 2012 to 2013 and from 2009 to 2011. He served as a prosecutor and staff counsel for the U.S. Coast Guard from 1992 to 2009. Taira served as a defense attorney in the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office from 1991 to 1992. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1988 to 1992. Taira earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $147,778. Taira is a Democrat.
Timothy Sheldon Jr., 41, of Bakersfield, has been appointed an alternate to the Commission on Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training. Sheldon has been a correctional lieutenant at Kern Valley State Prison since 2013, where he has served in several positions since 2006, including correctional sergeant and correctional officer. He was a correctional officer at California State Prison, Corcoran from 2000 to 2006. He is supervisory vice president of the Kern Valley State Prison chapter of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Sheldon is a Republican.
###