Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.
Ian Bastek, of Roseville, has been appointed Deputy Director of Response in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Bastek has been Captain and Commanding Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, Air Station Sacramento since 2021. He was Captain/U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Task Force East Liaison Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard, NORAD and USNORTHCOM from 2019 to 2021. Bastek was a Commander and Executive Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center from 2018 to 2019 and was Commander and Operations Officer there from 2016 to 2018. He was Commander and Fixed Wing Platform and Sensors Division Chief with the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Capabilities Directorate within the Office of Aviation Forces from 2014 to 2016. He was Lieutenant Commander and Long-Range Surveillance Aircraft Platform Manager with the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Capabilities Directorate within the Office of Aviation Forces from 2012 to 2014. Bastek was Lieutenant Commander and HC-144 Standardization Branch Assistant Branch Chief with the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center from 2008 to 2012. He was Lieutenant Commander, Flight Safety Department Head, Fixed Wing Flight Safety Officer, and HC-130H Duty Pilot with the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City from 2004 to 2008. Bastek was Lieutenant, HC-130H Duty Pilot, Ground Safety Office, Facilities Budget and Contracts Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point from 2000 to 2004. He was Lieutenant Junior Grade and Student Pilot with the U.S. Coast Guard Sponsored Flight Training from 1999 to 2000. Bastek was Lieutenant Junior Grade, Deck Watch Officer and Law Enforcement Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Planetree from 1997 to 1999. He is a member of the National Gay Pilots Association, Military Officers Association of America, and the Coast Guard Aviation Association. Bastek earned a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,596. Bastek is a Democrat.
Ryan Briscoe Young, of Davis, has been appointed Deputy Public Advisor at the California Energy Commission. Young was Policy Director at Dream Corps from 2022 to 2023. He served in several roles for the City and County of San Francisco from 2014 to 2022, including Senior Community Development Specialist and Contract Compliance Officer in the General Services Agency, Contract Monitoring Division. Young was Legal Counsel at The Greenlining Institute from 2010 to 2014. He was a Fellow at Urban Habitat Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute from 2011 to 2012 and a Legal Intern at the California Public Utilities Commission from 2009 to 2010. Young was a Law Clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2008. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,004. Young is a Democrat.
Laila DeRouen, of Santa Rosa, has been appointed Director of the Office of Tribal Affairs at the California Department of Social Services, where she has been Acting Director since 2024 and has served in several positions since 2021, including Staff Services Manager and Central Indian Child Welfare Act Field Liaison. She was an Indian Child Welfare Act Advocate IV at the Indian Child and Family Preservation Program from 2005 to 2021. DeRouen was a Youth Connection Specialist for the Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County from 2008 to 2010. She was a Marketing Assistant for River Rock Casino from 2002 to 2005. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $115,932. DeRouen is a Democrat.
Brandon Price, of Hanford, has been appointed Chief of Hospital Services at the California Department of State Hospitals. He has been Executive Director of the Department of State Hospitals – Coalinga since 2016 and has held several roles there since 2010, including Hospital Administrator, Acting Hospital Administrator, Acting Assistant Hospital Administrator, Acting Director of Quality Improvement, Mental Health Program Supervisor and Standards Compliance Coordinator. Price held several positions at Pleasant Valley State Prison at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2001 to 2010, including Health Program Specialist I, Associate Health Program Advisor, Acting Health Program Specialist I, Health Care Appeals Coordinator and Office Technician. He is a member of the Western Psychiatric State Hospital Association. Price earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $181,656. Price is a Republican.
Jonathan Snow, of Rocklin, has been appointed Deputy Director of Homeland Security at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Snow has been Assistant Special Agent in Charge with the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2022. Snow was on temporary duty in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2021. He has been Division Compliance/Chief Security Officer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2018. Snow was Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Intelligence and Operations at the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2018 to 2022 and a Supervisor there from 2016 to 2018. Snow was Supervisory Special Agent in the Counterintelligence Team at the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2015 to 2016 and Unit Chief in 2015. He was a Special Agent with the National Security and Violent Crimes Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2003 to 2012. Snow was a Team Developer with Alcatel Fiber Optic Cable Systems from 2001 to 2002. He was Manufacturing Manager with SI Corporation from 1998 to 2001. Snow was Environmental Sales and Service Manager with Circle Environmental from 1997 to 1998. He was a Technical Engineer with Amoco Fabrics and Fibers from 1994 to 1997. Snow earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Engineering from North Carolina State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,596. Snow is a Democrat.
Myriam Valdez-Singh, of West Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Legislation at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Valdez-Singh has served as a Deputy Appointments Secretary in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2021. She was Legislative Director in the Office of State Senator Melissa Hurtado from 2019 to 2020. Valdez-Singh was a Legislative and Policy Advocate at Health Access California from 2017 to 2019. She served as a Legislative Aide in the Office of State Senator Holly Mitchell from 2015 to 2017 and in the Office of State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson from 2013 to 2015, where she was a Senate Fellow from 2012 to 2013. Valdez-Singh earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University, Bakersfield and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,732. Valdez-Singh is a Democrat.