California: Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 9.27.23
The Californer/10255650

SACRAMENTO ~ Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of five individuals to various positions in California.

Joseph McCullough of Wilton has been appointed Director of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. McCullough has been with the Department since 2001, serving in various roles such as Division Chief, Deputy Division Chief, District Administrator, Supervising Agent and Agent. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento and is registered without party preference. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $211,460.

Susan R. Sommercamp of Rocklin has been appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary at the California State Transportation Agency. Sommercamp has held several positions at the California Department of Justice from 2015 to 2020 and was Speechwriter to the Director at the California Department of Transportation from 2020 to 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California State University, Long Beach and is a member of Women in Transportation Seminar International. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $103,788. She is a Democrat.

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Kimberly Goncalves of Elk Grove has been appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary at the California Natural Resources Agency where she has served as a Staff Services Manager since 2008. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $105,804. Goncalves is a Democrat.

Cliff Rechtschaffen of Oakland has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board where he has served as a Commissioner on the California Public Utilities Commission since 2017 and Senior Advisor on Climate and Energy in the Office of Governor Brown from 2011 to 2017. Rechtschaffen holds a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics from Princeton University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $54,114. Rechtschaffen is a Democrat.

Nicholas Speal of South Lake Tahoe has been appointed to Tahoe Transportation District where he currently works as Software Engineer at Zipline since 2018 and held several roles at 3D Robotics from 2015 to 2017 including Software Engineer and Engineering Project Manager as well as Project Manager at McGill Robotics from 2013 to 2014 and McGill LunarEx Robotics from 2011 to 2013. Speal also serves as President for Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition and member for City of South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission while holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. This position does not require Senate confirmation nor does it have any compensation attached with it; Speal is registered as Democrat with this appointment..

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The appointments made by Governor Newsom today are expected to bring about positive changes for Californians across all sectors including transportation, natural resources management, air quality control among others while providing opportunities for individuals who have worked hard towards their respective fields over years or decades now being rewarded with these appointments by Governor Newsom himself..

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