Gov. Newsom Announces Appointments in LA, Carson

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom in the first two-weeks of January announced the following appointments.

Marissa Christiansen, 40, of Los Angeles, to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. Christiansen has been president and chief executive officer at Friends of the Los Angeles River since 2018, where she has held multiple positions since 2016, including senior director of policy and advocacy and executive director. She was senior manager of Alliances at XPRIZE from 2013 to 2015 and assistant to the city manager at the City of Redondo Beach from 2012 to 2013. Christiansen was director of the South Bay Initiative at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition from 2010 to 2012 and an associate of corporate operations and real estate at the Walt Disney Company from 2007 to 2009. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree in urban planning from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Christiansen is a Democrat.

Catherine Bando, 66, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Catastrophe Response Council, where she has served since 2019. Bando has been executive director at the California Statewide Communities Development Authority since 2014 and has been principal at Bando Public Finance since 2012. Bando was director at Citigroup Global Markets from 2010 to 2011. She was partner at Greencoast Capital Partners from 2009 to 2010. Bando was managing director at J.P. Morgan in 2008 and at RBC Capital Markets from 1990 to 2008. Bando earned a Master of Business Administration degree from American University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bando is a Democrat.

Debra Lee, 61, of Carson, has been reappointed deputy chief of safety in the division of occupational safety and health at the California Department of Industrial Relations, where she has served since 2015. She held several positions at the department from 1994 to 2015, including regional manager, district manager, associate industrial hygienist and assistant industrial hygienist. She was an industrial hygienist at Northrop Corporation from 1992 to 1994, at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources from 1990 to 1992, at Health Science Associates from 1987 to 1990 and at TRW Electronics from 1985 to 1987. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $181,968. Lee is a Democrat.