The Los Angeles Post

Governor Newsom Announces Appointments

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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

David Briggs, of Oakland, has been appointed to the California Earthquake Early Warning Advisory Board. Briggs has served as Director of Operations and Maintenance and Manager of Water Operations for the East Bay Municipal Utility District since 2017. He was Local & Regional Water Systems Manager for the City and County of San Francisco from 2007 to 2017. Briggs held several positions at the Contra Costa Water District from 1995 to 2007, including Water Resources Manager and Capital Projects Manager. Briggs earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Briggs is registered without party preference.

Heidi Rummel, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Committee on Revision of the Penal Code. She has been a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Post-Conviction Justice Project at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law since 2006. Rummel served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California from 1996 to 2005. She has been President of Parole Justice Works since 2020. Rummel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rummel is a Democrat.

Renee Armendariz Barker, of San Carlos, has been reappointed to the State Board of Pharmacy, where she has served since 2022. Armendariz Barker has been Sterile Products Manager at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford since 2019 and has held several roles there since 1997, including IV Room Supervisor, IV Pharmacist and Clinical Pharmacist. She is a member of the California Society of Health System Pharmacists and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. Armendariz Barker earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of California, San Francisco. She is a board-certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacist and received a Compounded Sterile Preparations Certificate from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Armendariz Barker is a Democrat.

Andrew Tavakoli, of Beverly Hills, has been appointed to the Exposition Park and California Science Center Board of Directors. Tavakoli has been Chief Executive Officer at Tavaco Properties since 1987. He is a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business Board of Leaders, Cedars Sinai Medical Center Board of Counselors, and the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. Tavakoli earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master of Science degree in Business Administration-Finance from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Tavakoli is a Democrat.

Heather Bernikoff, of Catheys Valley, has been appointed to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors. She has been Pollinator and Wildlife Habitat Program Manager and Tribal Liaison at the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts since 2024. Bernikoff has been an independent Consultant since 2017. She was Program Director at The Special Hope Foundation from 2014 to 2017 and was Program Officer and Program Director at the California Consumer Protection Foundation from 2002 to 2014. Bernikoff was Program Manager at the California Telehealth and Telemedicine Center from 2000 to 2002 and Senior Health Educator and Program Manager at Contra Costa Health Plan from 1997 to 2000. Bernikoff earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Humboldt and a Master of Science degree in Health Education from the University of Wyoming. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bernikoff is a Democrat.

Adrienne Mohan, of Long Beach, has been appointed to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. Mohan has been Executive Director at the Palos Verdes Conservancy since 2019, where she has held multiple roles since 2010, including Conservation Director and Stewardship Associate. She was a Restoration Program Assistant at the California Coastal Commission from 2009 to 2010. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Geography from California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $75 per diem. Mohan is a Democrat.