News

Dec 12, 2025

Governor Newsom announces appointments 12.12.2025

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Elmy Bermejo, of San Francisco, has been appointed Director of the Office of Small Business Advocate. Bermejo was Regional IX Administrator for the United States Small Business Administration from 2022 to 2025. She was the Northern California Director of External Affairs in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2022. Bermejo was a Senior Advisor and Outreach Director for Eleni Kounalakis for Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2018. She held several roles in the United States Department of Labor from 2010 to 2017, including Regional Representative and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Bermejo was Deputy Secretary of External Affairs for the California State and Consumer Services Agency from 2007 to 2008. She was a Special Assistant in the California State Senate from 1998 to 2007. Bermejo is a member of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, the Women's Foundation of California Board of Directors, the Foundation for California Community Colleges Board of Directors, and the San Francisco Commission on the Environment. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $205,695. Bermejo is a Democrat.

Jesse Melgar, of Palm Springs, has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Melgar has been Senior Advisor at the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab at the University of California, Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, since 2023, where he was Director of Engagement for California 100 from 2021 to 2023. He was Communications Director and Press Secretary in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2021. Melgar was Deputy Secretary of State and Chief Communications Officer for Secretary of State Alex Padilla from 2016 to 2019. He served as a Communications Director in the California State Senate and for the California Latino Legislative Caucus from 2014 to 2016. Melgar was Communications Director for Equality California in 2013. He is Vice Chair of the California Volunteers Commission and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Inland Empire Community Foundation. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California Riverside School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Melgar is a Democrat.

Laura Capps, of Santa Barbara, has been appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections. Capps has served on the Board of Supervisors at the County of Santa Barbara since 2023 and has been Chair since 2025. Capps has been the Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Consultant at Capstone since 2013. She was a Board Member for the Santa Barbara Unified School District from 2016 to 2022. Capps was the Senior Vice President for Communications and Government Affairs at the Ocean Conservancy from 2007 to 2009. She was the Communications Director in the Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in the United States Senate from 2005 to 2007. Capps was the Iowa Communications Director and Western Communications Directors at John Kerry for President from 2003 to 2004. She was a Speechwriter for President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 1998. Capps was an Assistant in the Office of George Stephanopoulos at The White House from 1995 to 1996. She is a member of Santa Barbara County's Community Corrections Partnership. Capps earned a Master of Science International History from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Capps is a Democrat.

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Christopher Clark, of Santa Cruz, has been appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections. Clark has held several positions at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner's Office since 2006, including, Sheriff-Coroner, Undersheriff, Sheriff's Chief Deputy, Sheriff's Lieutenant, Sheriff's Sergeant, Detective and Deputy Sheriff. He earned a Master of Science degree in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento. This position requires Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Clark is a Democrat.

Arthur "Ari" Krantz, of Berkeley, has been reappointed to the California Public Employment Relations Board, where he has served since 2018. Krantz held multiple roles at Leonard Carter LLP from 1996 to 2018, including Partner and Associate. He was a Practitioner Advisor for the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2017, where he was a Lecturer in 2016. Krantz served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Ellen Bree Burns at the United States District Court, District of Connecticut from 1995 to 1996. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Yale University. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $186,271. Krantz is a Democrat.

Siva Gangadhar Gunda, of Davis, has been reappointed to the California Energy Commission, where he has served since 2021. Gunda held multiple roles at the California Energy Commission from 2017 to 2021, including Deputy Director of the Energy Assessments Division and Office Manager for the Demand Analysis Office. He held multiple positions at the University of California, Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute from 2011 to 2017, including Director of Research and India Initiatives, Director of Research, and Program Manager. Gunda earned a Master of Science degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from Utah State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $215,631. Gunda is not registered to vote.

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