Governor Newsom announces appointments 2.27.2026

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Christine Ciccotti, of Davis, has been appointed Chief Counsel at the California High Speed Rail Authority. Ciccotti has been Chief Counsel at the California Department of General Services since 2022. She was Chief Counsel at the California Department of State Hospitals from 2018 to 2022. Ciccotti served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Correctional Law Section at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2014 to 2018. She was a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Contract Management Agency from 2012 to 2013. Ciccotti was an Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons from 2009 to 2012. She served in several positions for the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps at Nellis Air Force Base and Travis Air Force Base from 2006 to 2009, including Trial Counsel, Chief of Contract Law, Chief of Civil Law, Chief of Adverse Actions, and Chief of Claims. Ciccotti earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and History from University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate Confirmation and the compensation is $235,008. Ciccotti is a Democrat.
Richard Rojas, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs at the California Department of General Services. Rojas has been Legislative Manager at the California Department of General Services since 2022. He was Legislative Manager at the California Energy Commission from 2018 to 2022. Rojas was a Legislative Coordinator at the California Department of Public Health from 2013 to 2018. He was an Associate Governmental Program Analyst at the California Department of Health Care Services from 2008 to 2013. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $145,008. Rojas is registered without party preference.

Amy Tong, of Elk Grove, has been appointed to the Racial Equity Commission. Tong has been Senior Counselor to the Governor in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2025. She was the Secretary of the California Government Operations Agency from 2022 to 2025. Tong was Director of the California Office of Digital Innovation in 2022. She was Director of the California Department of Technology from 2016 to 2021. Tong was Chief Deputy Director of the Office of Systems Integration and Agency Chief Information Officer at the California Health and Human Services Agency from 2014 to 2016. She was Deputy Director and Chief Information Officer at the California State Lottery from 2012 to 2014. Tong was Chief Technology Officer at the Department of Tax and Fee Administration from 2011 to 2012. She was Chief of the Data Center at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2008 to 2011. Tong earned a Master of Business Administration degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Tong is registered without party preference.

Ehsan Zaffar, of Long Beach, has been appointed to the Commission on the State of Hate. Zaffar has been the Founding Executive Director of The Difference Engine: Arizona State University’s Center on the Future of Equality, Professor of Practice at Arizona State University College of Law, and Professor at Arizona State University School of Social Transformation since 2021. Zaffar was a Senior Advisor for the United States Department of Homeland Security from 2011 to 2021. He was the Founder of the Los Angeles Mobile Legal Aid Clinic from 2008 to 2010. Zaffar is a member of the Human Rights Watch Los Angeles Committee, American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California Board of Directors, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Team Rubicon Board of Advisors. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Zaffar is a Democrat.

Brian Gorrindo, of Leona Valley, has been appointed to the 50th District Agricultural Association, Antelope Valley Fair Board. Gorrindo has been Owner and Operator of Gorrindo Ranch and Cattle since 2020 and Fire Captain for the Glendale Fire Department since 2002. He is a member of the Los Angeles Cattlemen’s Association and Kids Feeding Kids Through Agriculture Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Gorrindo is a Republican.

Keely Bosler, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board where she has served since 2022. Bosler has been the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Keely MB Strategies since 2022. She was Director of the California Department of Finance from 2018 to 2022. Bosler was the Cabinet Secretary in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown from 2016 to 2018. She was the Chief Deputy Director for Budget at the California Department of Finance from 2013 to 2016. Bosler was the Staff Director for the California State Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee from 2010 to 2013. She was Associate Director of Fiscal Services at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2009 to 2010. Bosler was a Consultant for the California State Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee from 2004 to 2009. She was a Fiscal and Policy Analyst at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office from 2000 to 2004. She earned a Master of Science degree in Applied Economics from Cornell University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $59,133. Bosler is registered without party preference.

Eric Heins, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Gambling Control Commission where he has served since 2021. Heins was the President at Heins & Associates LLC., from 2019 to 2021. He was the President of California Teachers Association from 2015 to 2019. Heins was a Teacher at Pittsburgh Unified School District from 1990 to 2019. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Language and Literacy Education from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Chapman College. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $186,271. Heins is a Democrat.

Michael Gunning, of Elk Grove, has been reappointed to the California State Teachers’ Retirement Board, where he has served since 2022. Gunning has served as Chief Strategy Officer at Lighthouse Public Affairs since 2022. He was Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs at the California Building Industry Association from 2018 to 2022. Gunning was the Vice President at the Personal Insurance Federation of California from 2001 to 2018. He was the Managing Director of the Nehemiah Community Reinvestment Fund from 1999 to 2001. Gunning was Director of the California Organized Investment Network at the California Department of Insurance from 1996 to 1999. He was a Senior Policy Consultant at the California State Assembly from 1995 to 1996. Gunning earned a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from the Claremont Graduate University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from the Claremont Men’s College. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gunning is a Republican.