Sacramento, California - Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Giles Giovinazzi, 46, of Davis, has been appointed senior advisor at the California State Transportation Agency. Giovinazzi has been chief of staff and federal transportation liaison for the California Department of Transportation since 2018. He was federal transportation liaison for the Department of Transportation and the California High-Speed Rail Authority from 2014 to 2018. He served in multiple positions for the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 2002 to 2014, including senior counsel, counsel and staff director for the Subcommittee on Aviation. Giovinazzi served as legislative counsel for U.S. Representative James McGovern from 1999 to 2002 and an attorney contractor supporting the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1998 to 1999. He is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and has served in multiple positions in the U.S. Navy Reserve since 2004, including a mobilization to active duty in Afghanistan. Giovinazzi earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Tulane University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $162,108. Giovinazzi is a Democrat.
Scott Wyckoff, 52, of Sacramento, has been appointed general counsel at the California State Transportation Agency. Wyckoff has served as general counsel at the California Department of Business Oversight since 2014. He held multiple positions in the California Attorney General’s Office from 1999 to 2014, including deputy attorney general and supervising deputy attorney general. Wyckoff was an attorney at Cuneo Black Ward and Missler from 1998 to 1999. He was assistant to the government affairs director at the Oregon Education Association from 1993 to 1994. Wyckoff was chief of staff in the Office of Oregon House of Representatives member Sharon Wylie from 1992 to 1993. He was a legislative assistant in the Office of Oregon House of Representatives member Hedy Rijken from 1990 to 1991. Wyckoff is a board member of Operation Protect and Defend. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Golden Gate University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $187,968. Wyckoff is a Democrat.
Jamie Romas, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed special assistant for the California State Library. Romas has been a communications consultant since 2016. She was executive speechwriter for California Attorney General Kamala Harris from 2014 to 2016, senior vice president for Mercury Public Affairs from 2012 to 2013 and capital campaign manager for B Street Theatre from 2009 to 2012. She was a coordinator for federal government and external affairs at Comcast from 2007 to 2009. Romas earned a Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $77,232. Romas is a Democrat.
Melissa Rubalcava, 37, of Hanford, has been appointed to the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Rubalcava has been a program nurse at Exodus Recovery since 2015. She was an administrator at Willow Glen Care Center from 2012 to 2016, a program nurse and case manager at Turning Point from 2010 to 2012 and a licensed psychiatric technician at the Coalinga State Hospital from 2006 to 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rubalcava is a Republican.
Scott Silveira, 41, of Los Banos, has been appointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Silveira has served on the Merced County Board of Supervisors representing District 5 since 2019. Silveira was managing partner at Banos Royal Farms from 1990 to 2018. Silveira is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Future Farmers of America Advisory Board for Los Banos and Dos Palos. He volunteers in leadership positions with 4-H. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Silveira is a Republican.
Tod Borges, 55, of Elk Grove, has been appointed to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board. Borges has been a hearing aid dispenser at HearingLife Hearing Aid Center since 2016. He was a hearing aid dispenser at Costco from 2012 to 2015, at Zeiter Hearing Aid Center from 2010 to 2012, Darzell Hearing Systems from 2007 to 2010, Hearing Aid Center of Roseville from 2004 to 2007, and American Hearing Aid Associates from 2001 to 2004. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Borges is a Democrat.
Marcia Raggio, 70, of Pacifica, has been reappointed to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board, where she has served since 2012. Raggio has been a professor at San Francisco State University since 1997, owner of Hearing Science of Daly City since 1997 and a research audiologist at the University of California, San Francisco since 1992. She is a past-chair of the Academic and Professional Standards Council for the American Academy of Audiology. Raggio earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in speech and hearing science from the University of California, San Francisco. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Raggio is a Democrat.
Robin Sunkees, 57, of Carlsbad, has been appointed to the Court Reporters Board of California. Sunkees has been an official court reporter for the San Diego County Superior Court since 1991. She was an official court reporter for the Maricopa County Superior Court from 1986 to 1991 and a court reporter for M.L. Spicer Reporting from 1985 to 1986. Sunkees is a member of the San Diego Superior Court Reporters Association, California Court Reporters Association, and the National Court Reporters Association. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Sunkees is a Democrat.
