Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.
Keri Askew Bailey, of Auburn, has been appointed to the 20th District Agricultural Association, Gold Country Fair Board of Directors. Askew Bailey has been Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Charter Communications since 2018. She was Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy at the California Grocers Association from 2009 to 2018. Askew Bailey was Director of Government Relations at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues from 2005 to 2009. She served in several roles, including as Chief of Staff, for various members of the California State Assembly from 1995 to 2005. Askew Bailey is a member of the California State University Foundation Board of Governors and Financial Audit Committee. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Law Studies from the University of the Pacific. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Askew Bailey is registered without party preference.
Alissa Bjerkhoel, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Nevada County Superior Court. Bjerkhoel has been Litigation Coordinator for the California Innocence Project at the California Western School of Law since 2016 and was a Staff Attorney there from 2008 to 2016. She has served as a Panel Attorney for the Sixth District Appellate Program since 2012 and for Appellate Defenders Inc. since 2010. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the California Western School of Law. Bjerkhoel was born and raised in Nevada County. She will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Candace S. Heidelberger effective November 27, 2023. Bjerkhoel is a Democrat. The compensation for this position is $232,399.
Danette Castillo Brown, of Yolo County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Yolo County Superior Court. Brown has served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings since 2011. She has been an Instructor at Lincoln Law School of Sacramento since 2003. Brown served as Staff Counsel at the California Department of Insurance from 2001 to 2011 and at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation from 1999 to 2001. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law. Brown fills the vacancy created by the transfer of Judge Peter M. Williams to the Sacramento County Superior Court. She is a Democrat. The compensation for this position is $232,399.
Shannon Coe, of Davis, has been reappointed to the State Independent Living Council, where she has served since 2022. Coe has been a Community Parent with WarmLine Family Resource Center since 2018. She was a Program Coordinator at the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers from 2011 to 2015. Coe was a Consultant at Humanity & Inclusion in 2009 and an Urban Youth Development Worker for the Peace Corps from 2004 to 2006. Coe was a Mentor at the Youth Empowerment Project in 2003. She was Acting Program Coordinator at the Fulfillment Fund Teen Access Program from 2002 to 2003. Coe earned a Master of Public Administration degree in International Management from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Coe is registered without party preference.
Elizabeth Ichikawa, of Fairfield, has been reappointed to the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau Advisory Committee, where she has served since 2020. Ichikawa has been a Court Investigator for the Solano County Superior Court since 2014 and Supervising Investigator there since 2020. Ichikawa was a Judicial Assistant II at the Solano County Superior Court from 2011 to 2014. She was an Administrative Assistant for Favaro, Lavezzo, Gill, Caretti & Heppell PC from 2009 to 2010 and a Paralegal for the Law Offices of Poulos and Fullerton from 2002 to 2009. Ichikawa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Ichikawa is a Democrat.
James Moore, of Roseville, has been reappointed to the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau Advisory Committee, where he has served since 2019. Moore has been Owner of Conservatorship and Fiduciary Services of Northern California since 1992. He earned a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from National University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Family Counseling/Child Development from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Moore is a Democrat.
Jarred “JP” Patton, of Grass Valley, has been appointed Director of the California Conservation Corps. Patton has served as a Regional Deputy Director at the California Conservation Corps since 2020. He was Assistant Manager at Walker Creek Ranch, Marin County Office of Education from 2018 to 2020. Patton was an Outdoor Recreation Supervisor for the Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation from 2015 to 2018. He was a Project Management and Organization Change Management Analyst at the State of California Office of Systems Integration from 2013 to 2015. Patton was an Associate Personnel Analyst at the California Department of Transportation from 2012 to 2013. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $196,008. Patton is a Democrat.
Nichole Rocha, of Rocklin, has been appointed to the Children’s Data Protection Working Group. Rocha has been Head of U.S. Affairs for the 5Rights Foundation since 2022. She was Chief Consultant for the California Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee from 2019 to 2022. She was a Supervising Attorney in the Judicial Council of California’s Office of Government Affairs in 2019 and a Consultant for the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee from 2018 to 2019. She was Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2012 to 2018. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rocha is a Democrat.
Susan Rotchy, of Dixon, has been reappointed to the State Independent Living Council, where she has served since 2022. Rotchy has been Executive Director at Independent Living Resources of Solano & Contra Costa Counties since 2010, where she has held several roles since 2005, including Program Manager and Benefits Specialist. She was a Substitute Teacher for the Vacaville Unified School District from 2007 to 2010. Rotchy was an Optician for Dr. Randall Cummings from 1993 to 1996. She is a member of the Solano In-Home Support Services Advisory Committee and the Consolidated Transportation Services Agency Advisory Committee. Rotchy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Golden Gate University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rotchy is a Democrat.
Jean-Pierre Wolff, of San Luis Obispo, has been reappointed to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, where he has served since 2010. Wolff has been a Viticulturist and Owner of Wolff Vineyards since 1999. He was an independent Technology Consultant from 2000 to 2002, Senior Vice President at Global Energy Services from 1998 to 2000 and Vice President and Corporate Officer at Electro-Test Inc. from 1981 to 1998. Wolff was a Field and Power System Engineer at Westinghouse Electric Corporation from 1977 to 1981 and a Design Engineer at Darmsted-Parenti and Associates from 1973 to 1977. Wolff is vice president of the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District and a member of the San Luis Obispo County Agricultural Liaison Advisory Board, the USDA Farm Service Agency San Luis Obispo County Advisory Committee and the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Science and Technology from Walden University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Wolff is a Republican.