Governor Gavin Newsom announced the following appointments today:
Marivel Barajas, 40, of Stockton, has been reappointed as the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Deputy Director of Legislation, a position she has held since 2016. In addition to serving as a Senate Fellow for California State Senator Alex Padilla from 2007 to 2008, Barajas served as a legislative consultant for Senator Lois Wolk from 2008 to 2016. Barajas graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master in Public Policy. The compensation for this position is $129,828, and Senate confirmation is not required. Barajas is a Democrat.
Ramona Fernandez, 59, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Boating and Waterways Division at the California Department of Parks and Recreation, where she has served as Acting Deputy Director since 2019. From 2013 to 2019, Fernandez managed boating operations for the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Boating and Waterways Division after serving as the division’s administrative chief of park operations from 2006 to 2013. Between 1993 and 2006, she served in a variety of capacities at the California Department of Water Resources, including those of Chief of Program Administration Support Services, Assistant Administrative Officer, Association Governmental Program Analyst, Staff Services Analyst, and Material and Stores Specialist. Fernandez is a member of the California Boating Safety Officers Association, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Association, the Western State Boating Administrators Association, and the Colorado River Law Enforcement Association. The compensation for this appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, is $151,728. Fernandez is a Democrat.Gloria Sandoval, 46, of Stockton, has been reappointed as the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, a position she has held since 2015. From 2014 to 2015, Sandoval served as the California Natural Resources Agency’s associate director of communications. From 2013 to 2014, he worked as the department’s information officer for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and from 2000 to 2013, he served as the department’s information officer and education analyst for the California Department of Boating and Waterways. The compensation for this position is $129,828, and Senate confirmation is not required. Sandoval is a Democrat.Suzanne Casazza, 32, of San Mateo, has been appointed Technical Advisor II to California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner John Reynolds, where she has been Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor to Commissioner John Reynolds since 2022. From 2015 until 2022, she served in a variety of capacities at the California Public Utilities Commission, including as an analyst, energy advisor, and legal counsel to Commissioners Darcie Houck and Liane Randolph. In 2015, she worked as a Legal and Policy Fellow in Cindy Chavez’s office, the supervisor of Santa Clara County. Hastings College of the Law at the University of California awarded Casazza a Juris Doctor degree. The compensation for this position is $150,012 and it does not require Senate confirmation. Casazza is a Democrat.
J. Elizabeth Smith, 48, of Santa Cruz, has been appointed the deputy commissioner of communications at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Since 2020, Smith has served as the City of Santa Cruz’s communications manager. From 2018 to 2020, she served in a variety of capacities at Code for America, including Head of Marketing and Marketing Consultant. Smith served as San Francisco State University’s Associate Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Communications from 2016 to 2017. From 2008 to 2016, she served as Saint Mary’s College of California’s Chief Marketing Officer. From 2005 until 2008, Smith was the Director of Marketing Communications at the University of California, Davis. She graduated from Northwestern University with a Master of Science in integrated marketing communications and from the University of California, Berkeley with a Master of Public Affairs. The compensation for this position is $146,000 and does not require Senate confirmation. Smith is a Democrat.