Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Friday announced the following appointments:
Ralph Lightstone, 68, of Sacramento, has been appointed senior advisor for policy and legislation at the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, where he has served as director of legislation since 2010. Lightstone was a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2006 to 2010, where he was special counsel to the attorney general from 2002 to 2006. He was chief consultant for the California State Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment from 1999 to 2002. Lightstone was an attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. and at the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation from 1974 to 1999. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $163,356. Lightstone is a Democrat.
Amy L. Wilson, 48, of Woodland, has been appointed deputy secretary for policy, research and legislation at the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, where she has served as assistant secretary for policy, research and legislation since 2015. Wilson served as communications director in the Office of California State Assemblymember V. Manuel Perez from 2009 to 2014. She was a research associate at Harder and Company Community Research from 2004 to 2009, a founding staff member at the Yolo Community Foundation from 2003 to 2005 and operations coordinator and research assistant at the California Institute for Rural Studies from 2002 to 2004. Wilson was Russia program manager at the Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia from 1995 to 2000, a development coordinator at the Government Accountability Project from 1993 to 1995 and a legislative fellow at the Friends Committee on National Legislation from 1992 to 1993. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $126,540. Wilson is a Democrat.
Eric Hirata, 46, of Elk Grove, has been appointed chief deputy director at the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, where he has been deputy division chief of the Northern Division since 2009 and has served in several positions since 1996, including project manager, legislative officer, district administrator, supervising investigator and investigator. Hirata is a member of the Asian Pacific State Employees Association and the Association's Foundation, Sacramento Asian Peace Officers Association, California Peace Officers’ Association and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. He is department representative for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Licensing Stakeholder Group. Hirata earned a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Stanislaus. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $152,412. Hirata is a Republican.
Deanna M. Strachan-Wilson, 47, of Atascadero, has been appointed to the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Strachan-Wilson has been program manager at the Transitions Mental Health Association since 2006. She held several positions for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Barbara County from 2005 to 2006, including grants manager and executive assistant. Strachan-Wilson was a clinic manager at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics from 2000 to 2005 and a program coordinator at the Mental Health Association of Orange County from 1995 to 2000. She served as a disability advocate representative for the State Rehabilitation Council from 2013 to 2017. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Strachan-Wilson is a Democrat.
Jean M. King, 69, of Redding, has been appointed to the California Domestic Violence Advisory Council. King has been an independent consultant since 2016. She was chief executive director at One Safe Place from 2011 to 2016. King is a member of the University of California, Santa Barbara Alumni Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. King is registered without party preference.
Sheryll Casuga, 35, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Board of Psychology. Casuga has been a staff clinical psychologist at Regional Center of the East Bay since 2014, adjunct faculty at John F. Kennedy University since 2012 and a sport psychologist in private practice since 2011. She was a predoctoral and postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders from 2010 to 2012, a practicum trainee at Asian Community Mental Health Services from 2009 to 2010 and a senior therapist for Children’s Hospital Oakland Autism Intervention from 2008 to 2009. Casuga is a member of the California Psychological Association, American Psychology-Law Society, Association for Applied Sport Psychology and the University of the Philippines Alumni Association, San Francisco Chapter. She earned a Doctor of Psychology degree in clinical psychology and a Master of Arts degree in sport psychology from John F. Kennedy University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Casuga is a Democrat.
