- The ARC - California Edition -

The Real Government of California

Here it is, almost a year since the new Administration has taken office in California, and I receive an e-mail “chastising me” for not keep my readers up to date about who are the “men” actually running our state government. As I look over my past newsletters, I see that I have written about this as it relates to the men and women of the state Legislature, but I sense that this inquiry may be about Governor Gray Davis’s people.

I do have some information about the Governor’s Cabinet and Senior Staff, so I will attempt to answer this writer’s need selectively as it relates to the Health Promotion and Disability Prevention (HPDP) of persons with mental retardation. I personally feel that every person in the Governor’s administration should be very interested in any issue that effects any person residing in this state – an Einstein or a movie star.

Chief of Staff: Governor Davis appointed Lynn Schenk to manage his staff. She is from San Diego, used to be a congresswoman, was deputy state attorney general, and probably became best known for opposing Bill Lockyer for state attorney general.

Staff Director: Second in command is Vincent Hall. Vince was the communications director for Davis when he was Lieutenant Governor.

Food and Agriculture: William Lyons is the man and he is a Modesto rancher. He also once was chair of the federal Department of Agriculture and the state Farm Services Agency. This cabinet position is important to HPDP, as his department controls the safety of our state’s food. Keywords: toxins, pesticides, genetic mutations.

Child Development and Education: The former state senator from Santa Barbara, Gary Hart, holds this position. Keywords: everyword in the dictionary.

Environmental Protection Agency: Winston Hickox holds this cabinet position. He is a past president of the California League of Conservation Voters. Keywords: Toxins, genetic mutations, disease, injury.

Department of Finance: Tim Gage is now in charge of this very key department. They bring together and monitor the state budget, but also these people are very involved in evaluating the use of public funds throughout state government.

It is important to note, that if this department doesn’t want to spend money for your pet project or my pet program, it becomes almost impossible to get the legislature to approve funding for the activity. Keyword: Money.

Health and Welfare: Davis appointed Grantland Johnson to run this very key department. Grantland is a former Sacramento County supervisor, and a former director of Region IX of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. They deal with alcohol and drugs, employment issues, day program issues, residential care issues, health services for everyone, mental health services for everyone, the rehabilitation of everybody, and the subject of aging, which covers everything else. Keywords: You name it!

There are many other cabinet positions and many, many other departments which are not cabinet positions. About 400 or 500 departments, boards, commissions, divisions, offices, authorities, committees, and caucuses exist within the governing structure of the state of California.