Governor Newsom Has Announced 1.18.24 Appointments

Jana Ganion, an Arcata resident, has been named Senior Offshore Wind Advisor. Since 2004, Ganion has served as the Blue Lake Rancheria's director of government affairs and sustainability. Ganion is an alternate director on the board of directors of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority and co-chair of the Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group of the U.S. Department of Energy.Berkeley resident David Hochschild, who has been a member of the California Energy Commission since 2013, has been reappointed. From 2007 to 2013, Hochschild served as Vice President of External Affairs at Solaria Corporation. From 2002 to 2005, he served as the Vote Solar Initiative's co-founder and director of policy in addition to his role as executive director at PV Now from 2005 to 2007.

Meghan Hertel, a Sacramento native, has been named the California Natural Resources Agency's Deputy Secretary of Biodiversity and Habitat. Since 2022, Hertel has served as Land Life Company's director for North America. From 2010 to 2022, she worked at Audubon California in a number of capacities, including Director of Land and Water Conservation. From 2007 to 2010, Hertel oversaw the Conservation Program at the Resources Legacy Fund. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and from Clark University with a Master of Arts in Environmental Science and Policy.

Senate confirmation is not necessary for this position, and the salary is $175,008. Hertel supports democracy.Sacramento native Kristina Khokhobashvili has been named Deputy Director of the California Department of Health Care Services' Office of Communications. Since 2021, Khokhobashvili has served as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Chief of Strategic Communication and External Affairs. From 2014 until 2021, Khokhobashvili worked for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in a number of capacities, including public information officer, deputy chief of external affairs, and chief of external affairs. Between 2011 and 2014, she worked for Gold Country Media in a number of roles, including features editor and editor.

From 2007 to 2012, Khokhobashvili worked as the City Editor at Calaveras First Company. The salary for this position is $162,192, and Senate confirmation is not required. Democrat Khokhobashvili is.