Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:
Elaine Yamaguchi, 53, of Woodland, has been appointed executive officer at the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Yamaguchi has been project and communications manager at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2013, where she has served in several positions since 2007, including legislative analyst and specialist. She was director of the California State Library, California Research Bureau’s California Civil Rights Public Education Program from 2005 to 2006 and special assistant to the speaker and senior consultant in the Office of Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez from 1998 to 2005. She was managing director at the Center for Asian American Media from 1995 to 1997, where she was operations director from 1993 to 1995. Yamaguchi was associate director for university affairs and collective bargaining at the University of California Student Association from 1989 to 1993. She is a member of the 40th District Agricultural Association, Yolo County Fair Board of Directors and the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $123,108. Yamaguchi is a Democrat.
Rachael O’Brien, 33, of Sacramento, has been appointed assistant secretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. O’Brien has been manager of government affairs at the Agricultural Council of California since 2014. She was a legislative advocate at Gonzalez, Quintana, Hunter LLC from 2013 to 2014 and a policy associate at Ecoconsult from 2010 to 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $95,004. O’Brien is registered without party preference.
Anne Bown-Crawford, 65, of Arcata, has been appointed director of the California Arts Council. Bown-Crawford has served as director and department chair of arts and design at the Northern Humboldt Union High School District since 1980. She was a teacher for the Humboldt County Office of Education from 1978 to 1980. Bown-Crawford earned a Master of Education degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $147, 870. Bown-Crawford is a Democrat.
Terrence Mines, 51, of Junction City, has been appointed to represent the fourth district on the Trinity County Board of Supervisors. Mines has been owner at Trinity Alps Collective since 2016. He was a commercial lobster fisher from 2008 to 2017 and a commercial squid fisher from 1999 to 2007. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $25,000. Mines is registered without party preference.
Terry Lewis, 61, of Burbank, has been reappointed to the State Bar of California Attorney Diversion and Assistance Program Oversight Committee, where she has served since 2015. Lewis has been executive director of the Mental Health Commission at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health since 2000, where she has served in several positions since 1982, including health program analyst and secretary at the Mental Health Commission. Lewis earned a Master of Science degree in counseling from California State University, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lewis is a Democrat.
John Harabedian, 36, of Sierra Madre, has been appointed to the California Acupuncture Board. Harabedian has been a member of the Sierra Madre City Council since 2012, serving as mayor of Sierra Madre from 2014 to 2015. He has been legal counsel at Bentham IMF since 2016. Harabedian served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office from 2015 to 2016. He was an associate at Latham and Watkins LLP from 2011 to 2015 and a law clerk for the Honorable Josephine Staton at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California from 2010 to 2011. Harabedian was a policy analyst in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office in 2007, a Coro Foundation fellow from 2006 to 2007 and an analyst at Barrington Associates from 2004 to 2005. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and a Master of Science degree in comparative social policy from the University of Oxford. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Harabedian is a Democrat.
Ricky Nierva, 45, of Albany, has been appointed to the California Film Commission. Nierva has been an art director, visual development artist, story artist and production designer at Pixar Animation Studios since 1997. He was a visual development artist at Warner Brothers Feature Animation from 1996 to1997 and at Turner Feature Animation from 1995 to 1996. Nierva was a storyboard artist at Hanna Barbera Animation from 1995 to 1996. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Nierva is a Democrat.
Bonnie Goldfarb, 57, of Malibu, has been appointed to the California Film Commission. Goldfarb has been co-founder and executive producer at Harvest Films Inc. since 2001. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Goldfarb is a Democrat.
