Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.
Dawn Ortiz-Legg, 61, of San Luis Obispo, has been appointed Supervisor for the 3rd District of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. Ortiz-Legg has been Agency Liaison at Pacific Gas and Electric Company since 2018. She held multiple positions at First Solar from 2010 to 2018, including Contractor, Construction Liaison and Assistant Project Manager. Ortiz-Legg is a member of the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission, One Cool Earth and the San Luis Obispo Film Festival. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. This position does not require Senate confirmation. Ortiz-Legg is a Democrat.
Manmeet “Mani” Grewal, 41, of Modesto, has been appointed Supervisor for the 4th District of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. Grewal has been President of Grewal Re Holdings since 2010 and a Member of the Modesto City Council since 2015. He is a member of the California State University, Stanislaus Foundation Board, the Sutter Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Children’s Crisis Center. Grewal earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Pacific. This position does not require Senate confirmation. Grewal is a Democrat.
January Riddle, 76, of Markleeville, has been appointed Supervisor for the 1st District of the Alpine County Board of Supervisors. Riddle was a Census Response Representative for the U.S. Census Bureau from 2019 to 2020. She was a Humanities Faculty Member at the University of Phoenix from 2009 to 2018 and a Realtor for Devin Properties from 2005 to 2017. Riddle was an Educational Resource Specialist for the U.S. Peace Corps from 2002 to 2004, an Associate Professor of Communications at Bethany College from 1995 to 2001 and a Lecturer in Journalism at San Diego State University from 1982 to 1995. Riddle earned a Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Arts degree in English from San Jose State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation. Riddle is a Democrat.
Rachel Wagoner, 46, of Sacramento, has been appointed Director of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Wagoner has served as Deputy Legislative Secretary in the Office of the Governor since 2019. She was Chief Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality from 2009 to 2018, Research Director at the University of Illinois, Chicago School of Public Health from 2008 to 2009 and an Advisor at the Department of Environment for the City of Chicago in 2008. Wagoner was a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality from 2007 to 2008, a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Health from 2004 to 2007, Director of Legislative Affairs at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 2002 to 2004 and a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Elections and Reapportionment from 2000 to 2002. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $186,389. Wagoner is a Democrat.