SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — On Thursday, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Christine Hironaka, 27, of Piedmont, has been appointed deputy director of legislative affairs at the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.
She has been a legislative assistant for California State Senator Mark Leno since 2010. Hironaka was a volunteer coordinator for the California Senate Democrats in 2012 and a senate fellow for California State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny from 2009 to 2010. She is a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association, the California Democratic Party Resolutions Committee and the California Young Democrats, Asian Pacific Islander Caucus. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $75,000. Hironaka is a Democrat.
Charles Adams III, 24, of Rancho Cucamonga, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where he has served since 2013. Adams has been a case manager at the Youth Action Project since 2012. He was a program specialist at the California State University, San Bernardino Recreation Center from 2010 to 2012. Adams is a member of the UpStart Systems Inc. Board of Directors and was a member of the Student African American Brotherhood at California State University, San Bernardino from 2007 to 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Adams is registered without party preference.
Ted Benito, 48, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where he has served since 2014. Benito has been executive director at the Apl.de.ap Foundation International since 2012 and has been a senior paralegal at Nantworks Inc. since 2007. He has been founder and principal partner at Pastiche Alchemy Entertainment since 2003. Benito was a paralegal at Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton LLC from 1991 to 2006. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Benito is a Democrat.
Clara Chiu, 50, of Alhambra, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where she has served since 2014. Chiu has been an executive assistant to the president and executive director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Los Angeles since 2012. She was a development director at the Asian Pacific Community Fund from 2009 to 2012. Chiu was an Advancing Justice Conference coordinator at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in 2009 and a senior community benefit specialist at Kaiser Permanente from 2008 to 2009. She was a senior director of operations and programming at the Organization of Chinese Americans, Greater Los Angeles from 2002 to 2008 and an account executive at Coach Inc. from 1998 to 2001. Chiu is a member of the Great Leap Inc. Board of Directors and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Los Angeles Lodge Board of Associates. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Chiu is a Democrat.
Mark Pulido, 45, of Cerritos, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where he has served since 2013. Pulido has been mayor of the City of Cerritos since 2014, where he has served as a member of the city council since 2011 and was mayor pro tem from 2013 to 2014. He has served as district director for Congressman Alan Lowenthal since 2013 and served as California State Senator Lowenthal’s district director from 2005 to 2012. Pulido was a consultant at the California State Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services from 2000 to 2004 and was a deputy at the Democratic National Convention Committee Community Relations Department in 2000. He served as an administrative analyst and management assistant at the Long Beach City Manager’s Office from 1997 to 1999. Pulido was a member of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education from 2001 to 2011 and was its president in 2008. He is a member of the Cerritos Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Wittmann Elementary PTA and the Friends of the Cerritos Library. Pulido earned a Master of Public Policy degree from The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Pulido is a Democrat.
Yvette Radford, 52, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where she has served since 2014. Radford has held multiple positions at the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals since 1995, including vice president of external and community affairs and public affairs director. She was a legislative aide for California State Assemblymember Tom Bates from 1983 to 1995. Radford is a member of the Alliant Credit Union Advisory Board, the San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora Board of Directors and National Medical Fellowships Inc. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Radford is a Democrat.
Robert Weist III, 51, of Vacaville, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where he has served since 2013.Weist has been captain at the City of Davis Fire Department since 2012, where he has served in multiple positions since 1985, including acting captain and firefighter. He was a field representative at Carroll Burdick and McDonough from 1999 to 2007. He is a member of Davis Firefighters L3494 board and chair of the City of Davis Fire Department Joint Apprentice Committee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Weist is a Democrat.
