Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the appointment of Mike Stoker to become regional administrator for Region 9. Mr. Stoker will oversee environmental protection efforts in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada. Mike Stoker has spent his life working as an attorney at law specializing in agriculture, labor, land use, and environmental law and most recently served as director of government affairs for UnitedAg, the second largest agricultural association in California. Mr. Stoker has spent much of his career serving the public. He was a member on Santa Barbara County’s Board of Supervisors from 1986-1994, chairman of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board from 1995-2000, and California deputy secretary of state from 2000-2002.
Stephen B. Bell, 56, of Shasta Lake, has been appointed to the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Bell has served as chief and commander of the Northern Division at the California Highway Patrol since 2012, where he was assistant chief from 2007 to 2012 and a captain of the Dublin Area from 2002 to 2006. He is a member of the Special Needs Adventure Group and the North State Regional Advisory Committee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Bell is a Democrat.
Giancarlo Altamura, 29, of Napa, has been appointed to the 25th District Agricultural Association, Napa Town and Country Fair Board of Directors. Altamura has been an assistant winemaker at Altamura Vineyards and Winery since 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Altamura is registered without party preference.
Ingrid E. Braun, 50, of Mammoth Lakes, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Braun has been sheriff-coroner and director of emergency services at the Mono County Sheriff’s Office since 2014, where she was deputy sheriff from 2012 to 2013 and extra-help deputy sheriff from 2011 to 2012. She was a reserve police officer at the Mammoth Lakes Police Department from 2013 to 2014 and served in several positions at the Los Angeles Police Department from 1990 to 2011, including police lieutenant, police detective, supervisor and police officer. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Braun is a Democrat.
Scott Howland, 50, of El Dorado Hills, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where he has served since 2016. Howland has been chief information officer and chief of the Information Management Division at the California Highway Patrol since 2014, where he has served in several positions since 1990, including assistant chief in the Coastal Division and in the Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Leadership Development and Communications and captain in the Office of Special Representative. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in organizational leadership and a Master of Business Administration degree in management and leadership from the University of La Verne. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Howland is registered without party preference.