Gov. Newsom Announces Appointment
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Brittany Comegna, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the State Rehabilitation Council. Comegna has been founder and CEO of Deaf and Disability Mediation Services since 2024. She was an education coordinator for the Rochester Institute of Technology from 2023 to 2024, where she held several positions from 2013 to 2023, including director, coordinator and admissions counselor. She is a member of the Southern California Mediation Association and California Hands and Voices. Comegna earned a Master of Science degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema and Television Arts from California State University, Northridge. She is deaf and her native language is American Sign Language. Comegna receives Department of Rehabilitation services. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Comegna is registered without party preference.
Karen Horne, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Film Commission. Horne was senior vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Warner Bros. Discovery from 2020 to 2023. She was senior vice president of Talent Development and Inclusion for NBCUniversal from 2009 to 2019. Horne was director of Creative Affairs for IDT Entertainment from 2005 to 2006. She was an executive consultant for Nickelodeon from 2000 to 2005. Horne was director of Writer Development and Special Projects for the Walt Disney Company from 1996 to 2000. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Montclair State University School of Communication and Media, the University of Southern California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and the Alliance of Women Directors. Horne earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcasting from Montclair State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Horne is a Democrat.
Holly J. Mitchell, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Film Commission. Mitchell has served on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors since 2020. She served as a Senator in the California State Senate from 2013 to 2020 and as an Assemblymember in the California State Assembly from 2010 to 2013. Mitchell was chief executive officer of Crystal Stairs from 2001 to 2010. She was a legislative advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty from 1998 to 2001. Mitchell was executive director of the California Black Women’s Health Project from 1994 to 1998. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and the California Science Center Foundation Board of Trustees. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Mitchell is a Democrat.
California to Expand Funding for Children’s Hospitals
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Children’s Hospital Association or CCHA today announced an agreement to expand health care for children in the state. The agreement will provide additional funding for the Department of Health Care Services to support California children’s hospitals now and in the future. This funding will help support medical care for critically ill children and those fighting the most serious and life-threatening diseases.
“State government leaders asked Children’s Hospitals to think outside the box to maximize the use of federal money to achieve our goal of extending life-saving care to more critically ill children,” said Ann-Louise Kuhns, President and CEO of CCHA. “We have found the best path to do so with less stress on the state’s budget for public health, public safety, public education and public infrastructure.”
This agreement is reflected in AB/SB 164. Once this legislation is passed by the Legislature, proponents of the “Affordable, Life-Saving Healthcare for Critically Ill Children” initiative eligible for the November 2024 ballot have agreed to withdraw their measure.
California to focus on Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Through Precision Medicine Research
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom June 25 announced an agreement to enhance the state’s ability to prepare for and potentially prevent the next pandemic by integrating the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine into the California Health and Human Services Agency or CalHHS and broadening its scope to include technologies relevant to pandemic prevention. Precision medicine, particularly when used with advanced diagnostic tools for infectious diseases, has the potential to alleviate the burdens of future pandemics by enabling early detection, faster response, and more effective countermeasures.
Pandemic preparedness and prevention are critical to safeguarding public health and ensuring societal and economic resilience against infectious disease outbreaks. This involves a multi-faceted approach including early detection through advanced diagnostics, rapid response mechanisms, and the integration of data and technology to monitor and predict disease trends. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure, enhancing the public health workforce, and fostering community engagement are also essential components. By investing in precision medicine research to develop next-generation tools and approaches, the state can achieve a more targeted and effective response to infectious diseases.
The California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine was launched in 2015 to support collaborative research and foster partnerships between the state, researchers, patients, communities, and industry to further the aims of this approach to health and medicine. Precision medicine aims to use advanced computing tools to aggregate, integrate, and analyze vast amounts of data from research, clinical, environmental, and population health settings, to better understand health and disease, and to develop and deliver more targeted diagnostics, therapeutics, and prevention measures.