Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.
The following appointments were made by the Governor during the month of July, or in the first week of August 2024.
Daniel Cueva, of Vacaville, has been appointed Warden of the California Medical Facility, where he has been Acting Warden since 2023. Cueva served in several positions at the California Medical Facility from 1997 to 2022, including Chief Deputy Administrator, Correctional Administrator, Correctional Captain, Correctional Lieutenant, Correctional Sergeant, Correctional Counselor I and Correctional Officer. Cueva was Associate Director of Female Offender Programs and Services at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2022 to 2023, where he was Correctional Administrator from 2011 to 2013 and Facility Captain from 2010 to 2011. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $193,524. Cueva is registered without party preference.
Brianna “Shae” Dellamaggiore, of Chowchilla, has been appointed an Alternate to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Dellamaggiore has been a Youth Advisory Consultant for ACEs Aware since 2023 and a Youth Advisory Consultant for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls from 2023 to 2024. They are a Policy Trainee Member and Chapter Chair at California Youth Connection. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dellamaggiore is registered without party preference.
Leon Dixson, of Placer County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Placer County Superior Court. Dixson has been Regional Counsel for Civil Rights at Legal Services of Northern California since 2023. He was Managing Attorney of the Expanded Access Project at Legal Services of Northern California from 2018 to 2023, where he was a Supervising Attorney from 2016 to 2017, a Staff Attorney from 2011 to 2016 and a Legal Graduate from 2010 to 2011. Dixson earned a Master of Dispute Resolution degree and Juris Doctor degree from the Pepperdine University School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Colleen Nichols. Dixson is a Democrat. The compensation for this position is $238,479.
Matt Espenshade, of Roseville, has been appointed Chief Deputy Inspector General of the Independent Office of Audits and Investigations at the California Department of Transportation. Espenshade has been Principal Manager of Audit Services at the Judicial Council of California since 2023. He was Deputy Secretary of Administration and Audits at the California State Transportation Agency from 2022 to 2023. Espenshade was Assistant Chief Deputy Inspector General at the Office of the Inspector General from 2020 to 2022. He was Deputy Director of Audits and Court Compliance at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2017 to 2020 and Supervising Management Auditor there from 2014 to 2017. Espenshade was Vendor Management Consultant of Governance and Oversight at Blue Shield of California in 2014, a Business Compliance Consultant at Health Net Inc. from 2012 to 2014 and Supervising Management Auditor at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2011 to 2012. He was Deputy Inspector General, Senior at the Office of the Inspector General from 2009 to 2011 and a Deputy Inspector General there from 2006 to 2009. Espenshade was a Research Program Specialist at the California Department of Health Care Services from 2005 to 2006 and an Auditor Evaluator at the California State Auditor’s Office from 2000 to 2005. Espenshade earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $185,964. Espenshade is a Democrat.
Claudia Carroll Hanson, of Truckee, has been appointed to the 17th District Agricultural Association, Nevada County Fair Board of Directors. Hanson was Planning Manager for the City of Reno from 2006 to 2021. She was Assistant Planner and a Senior Planner with the City of Reno from 1997 to 2006. Hanson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Hanson is a Democrat.
Anne Hoskins, of San Luis Obispo, has been appointed to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. Hoskins has been Senior Vice President of Policy and Market Development – Energy Technology at Generac Power Systems since 2022 and Advisor at Swift Solar since 2022. She was an Advisor at Brimstone from 2022 to 2023. Hoskins was Chief Policy Officer at Sunrun from 2016 to 2022. She was a Member of on the Maryland State Public Service Commission from 2012 to 2016. Hoskins was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability at PSEG from 2007 to 2013 and a Visiting Research Scholar at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University from 2012 to 2013. She held several roles at Verizon from 1998 to 2007, including Senior Counsel and Regulatory Counsel. Hoskins was an Associate at McCarter and English from 1995 to 1998. She was an Attorney at the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency from 1994 to 1995. Hoskins was Public Capital Program Coordinator for the Center for Policy Alternatives from 1989 to 1991. She served as a Policy Advisor in the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Policy and Planning from 1986 to 1989. Hoskins is a member of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University, a Master of Public Affairs degree from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Hoskins is a Democrat.
Eliana Kaimowitz, of Davis, has been appointed Director of the Office of Equity at the California Department of Social Services, where she has been Branch Chief of the Immigration Integration Branch since 2019 and was a Bureau Chief and Legal Fellow from 2018 to 2019. Kaimowitz was an Immigration Integration Executive Fellow in the Office of Governor Jerry Brown from 2017 to 2018. She was a Senior Research Analyst for Service Employees International Union California State Council from 2015 to 2017. Kaimowitz was a Consulting Attorney from 2014 to 2015. She was a Senior Research and Global Program Coordinator for the Center for the Study of Law, Justice, and Society from 2013 to 2014. Kaimowitz was an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation from 2009 to 2012. She was an Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP from 2008 to 2009. Kaimowitz was a Survey Research Associate for the Public Policy Institute of California from 2002 to 2004. Kaimowitz earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Harvard College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $187,116. Kaimowitz is a Democrat.
Kecia Lind, of Napa County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Napa County Superior Court. Lind has served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Napa County District Attorney's Office since 2015. She served as a Deputy District Attorney at the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office from 2008 to 2015 and was a Law Clerk there from 2006 to 2007. Lind earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Monique Langhorne Wilson to the Court of Appeal. Lind is a Democrat. The compensation for this position is $238,479.
Brett Lockman, of Sonora, has been appointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. Lockman has been President of Sierra Biotensegrity since 2017. He was Medical Director of Pain Medicine for Adventist Health from 2018 to 2019. Lockman was Chief Executive Officer and President of Advanced Wellness Sports and Spine from 2011 to 2016. Lockman was a Staff Physician at the Carolina Back Institute from 2009 to 2010. He is a Member of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California. Lockman earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Physiology from Michigan State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Lockman is a Republican.
Trevor Merrell, of Rohnert Park, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Merrell has been a Behavioral Therapist at Autism Comprehensive Educational Services since 2023. He served as an Electronic Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2018 to 2022. Merrell serves as an Officer At-Large for the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Merrell is a Democrat.
Wednesday Pope, of Placerville, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Pope has been a Youth Advocate at John Burton Advocates for Youth since 2024. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Pope is registered without party preference.
Matthew Swain, of Ukiah, has been appointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board. Swain has been Chief Medical Officer at Mendocino Community Health Centers since 2022. Swain was a Hospitalist and Primary Care Physician at South Peninsula Hospital from 2020 to 2022. He was a Chief at the Primary Care VA Healthcare System from 2017 to 2020. He served in several positions at Naval Camp Lejeune from 2008 to 2017, including Senior Medical Officer, Medical Officer, Primary Care Manager Wounded Warrior Battalion East, Family Physician and Family Medicine Resident. Swain is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and a member of the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California. Swain earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Midwestern University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, Chemistry and Military Studies from Northern Arizona University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Swain is registered without party preference.
Troy Taira, of Madera County, has been reappointed to the Board of Parole Hearings, where he has served since 2018. Taira served as an Administrative Law Judge for the California Public Utilities Commission in 2018. He was a Commissioner for the Board of Parole Hearings from 2016 to 2017, where he was a Deputy Commissioner and Administrative Law Judge from 2015 to 2016. Taira was Special Assistant to the Inspector General in the Office of the Inspector General from 2013 to 2015 and served as an Administrative Law Judge in the Office of Administrative Hearings from 2012 to 2013. He served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Social Services from 2011 to 2012 and for the Office of Administrative Hearings from 2009 to 2011. Taira served as a Commissioned Officer and Staff Attorney for the U.S. Coast Guard from 1992 to 2009. He was a Defense Attorney in the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office from 1991 to 1992. Taira is a member of California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges, and Hearing Officers in State Employment and the American Bar Association. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from San Francisco State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $204,120. Taira is a Democrat.
Julianna Vignalats, of Roseville, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer at the California Department of Social Services. Vignalats has been Acting Chief Operating Officer at the California Department of Social Services since 2024 and has served in several positions there since 2013, including Assistant Deputy Director of the Research Automation and Data Division, Acting Deputy Director of the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division, Section Chief and Cal-OAR Specialist in the CalWORKs and Family Resilience Branch, and Research Analyst II. Vignalats was an AmeriCorps Vista Member and Program Associate with HandsOn Sacramento from 2012 to 2013. Vignalats earned a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, San Diego and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $187,116. Vignalats is a Democrat.
Sarah Yee, of Granite Bay, has been appointed an Alternate to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Yee has been a Youth Crisis Counselor for the California Youth Crisis Line since 2022. She is member of Key Club, the Asian American Journalists Association, the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Journalism Education Association of Northern California. She was Co-Editor-in-Chief of Granite Bay Today from 2023 to 2024. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Yee is not registered to vote.