SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Governor Jerry Brown on Feb. 22 (Tues.) announced the following appointments: First, Wylie Aitken, 69, of Anaheim, has been appointed to the California Arts Council. He was previously appointed to the Council in March 2010. Aitken is a partner at Aitken, Aitken and Cohn, the law firm he founded in 1970. He is also a trustee and past president of the South Coast Repertory Theatre Board of Trustees, where he has worked to advance interest of the arts and access to arts education throughout Orange County. Aitken earned a Juris Doctor degree from Marquette University. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Aitken is a Democrat.
Mark Steven Andre, 55, of Arcata, has been appointed as a member of the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he has served on the Board since 2010. He is currently the Director of Environmental Services for the City of Arcata where he secured and administered over $14 million in water, forest and natural resource grants for the City in the past ten years. Andre has served as Environmental Services Director for Arcata since 2006, where he previously held the positions of Deputy Director of Environmental Services from 1992 to 2006, forester and geographic information system specialist from 1988 to 1992, and forest tech from 1984 to 1987. Previously, he was co-principal for NRG Inc., a natural resource contracting and consulting firm from 1979 to 1984. Andre earned a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Humboldt and is a California Registered Professional Forester. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Andre is a Democrat.
Robert Dresser, 69, of Sacramento, has been appointed member and chair of the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. He has worked as Enforcement Counsel for the Contractors State License Board since 2007. Dresser previously served as General Counsel of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency from 2002 to 2007. He was Chief Counsel and interim Director of the Department of Information Technology from 2001 to 2002. Dresser was an Administrative Law Judge for the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board from 1992 to 2001. He held multiple positions, including Senior Board Counsel, with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board from 1975 to 1992. Dresser earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Stanford University. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the chair receives an annual compensation of $132,179. Dresser is a Democrat.
Sean Eskovitz, 40, of Santa Monica, has been appointed to be a member of the Fair Political Practices Commission. Eskovitz is a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. Previously he was a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP from 2003 to 2005. Eskovitz served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2003. Previously he was an associate at Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, D.C. from 1996 to 1999. Eskovitz served as a law clerk to the Honorable Paul V. Niemeyer, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit in Baltimore, Maryland from 1995 to 1996. He has extensive experience with complex litigation and represents companies and individuals in government investigations and prosecutions. As an AUSA, he prosecuted cases involving financial and bank fraud, money laundering, and public corruption. The position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Eskovitz is a Republican.
Ann Ravel, 61, of Los Gatos, has been appointed chairperson of the Fair Political Practices Commission. She has been Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Torts and Consumer Litigation in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice since 2009. Previously she was County Counsel for Santa Clara County from 1998 to 2009. Ravel served in the Santa Clara County Counsel’s office from 1976 to 1998. As County Counsel, she provided advice to elected officials on the Political Reform Act, and she served on the statewide steering committee for tobacco litigation. Ravel has served on the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, the Judicial Council of California, the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, as well as the Hispanic National Bar Association. The position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $132,179. Ravel is a Democrat.
Carl W. “Chip” Robertson, 39, of Los Angeles, has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Robertson has been a Principal at Warland Investments since 2010. He has also been a member of the Management Committee at Sample Digital Holdings LLC since 2001. Previously Robertson was an Associate at Paul Hastings LLP from 1999 to 2001. Since 2006, he has served as a Trustee of the Hastings 1066 Foundation and currently serves as Treasurer. At Hastings, he endowed the Chip W. Robertson Faculty Research Fund. Mr. Robertson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a Masters in Business Administration degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management and a Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College of the Law. This position requires Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Robertson is a Democrat.
Genevieve Shiroma, 56, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, where she has served as a member since 1999. From 1978 to 1999, she served in a variety of positions at the Air Resources Board, concluding her tenure as Chief of the Air Quality Measures Branch. Shiroma was born the daughter of farm workers in the Acampo-Lodi area of San Joaquin County. Ms. Shiroma earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Davis. This position requires Senate confirmation and receives an annual compensation of $128,109. Shiroma is a Democrat.
Julie Su, 41, of Cerritos, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement. Su has worked at the Asian Pacific Legal Center in Los Angeles since 1994, where she currently serves as Director of Litigation. Su has devoted her career to serving the public interest as a civil rights attorney, specializing in representing low-wage workers. Su earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard University. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $138,546. Su is a Democrat.
