Governor Brown Announces Appointments

Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today announced the following appointments.

Christina Chung, 41, of Alameda, has been appointed special counsel to the Labor Commissioner. She was a law clerk to the Honorable Donna Ryu of the United States District Court, Northern District of California from 2010 to 2011. Previously, she was a staff attorney in the National Origin, Immigration, and Language Rights Program at the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center from 2007 to 2009. Chung worked at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California where was a senior staff attorney from 2006 to 2007, director of the Workers’ Rights Project from 2003 to 2006, and a staff attorney for the Workers’ Rights Project from 2000 to 2003 and the Immigrant Welfare Project from 1997 to 2000. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $125,004. Chung is registered decline-to-state.


Brian Edwards, 48, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California State Athletic Commission. Edwards is the chief operating officer of Relativity Media. Previously, he was the chief operating officer and general counsel of Mark Burnett Productions from 2009 to May 2011 and the president and chief operating officer at Overnight Productions from 2007 to 2009. Edwards was the chief operating officer and general counsel at DreamWorks, LLC from 2004 to 2007 after serving as the head of legal affairs from 1999 to 2004. Edwards worked at Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman & Machtinger, serving as a partner from 1996 to 1999 after serving as an associate from 1989 to 1996. Edwards was a co-executive producer of the TV series, "The Contender." This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Edwards is registered decline-to-state.

Linda Forster, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California State Athletic Commission. She has served as the president of Forster Construction Company since 1994. Forster served as the administrator for the Parents of Watts from 1993 to 2006 and as the director of the Dianne Feinstein Home for Young Mothers from 1991 to 1993. She also worked as a clinical social worker at the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in 1996. Forster served as a commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services Board from 2001 to 2004. She was a member of the U.S. Junior Olympics Basketball team in 1987. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Forster is a Democrat.

Deborah Gold, 60, of Oakland, has been appointed deputy chief for health with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. She has been a senior industrial hygienist and senior safety engineer at Cal/OSHA since 2000. Gold was an assistant and associate industrial hygienist for Cal/OSHA from 1993 to 2000. Previously she was a staff research associate at the University of California, Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program in 1993. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $121,860. Gold is a Democrat.

Michael Munoz, 60, of Placerville, has been appointed to the California State Athletic Commission. Munoz was the director of organizing of the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council from 2001 to 2008. He was the area director of organizing for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 190 from 1997 to 2001 and the director of organizing for the Bay Counties District Council of Carpenters from 1981 to 1997. Munoz was the tournament director for the Northern California Golden Gloves Regional Tournament in 2006 and 2007 and served as a delegate to the Golden Gloves of America National Championship. Munoz was previously a USA Boxing Official, certified in 1994. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Munoz is a Democrat.

Carlos Ramos, 48, of Elk Grove, has been appointed secretary of the California Technology Agency. Ramos currently owns Maestro Consulting, where he consults for both private and public sector clients on information technology issues. He has more than 26 years of experience in California government, serving as the director of the Office of Systems Integration from 2006 to 2008, assistant secretary and agency information officer of the Health and Human Services Agency from 2004 to 2008, director of the Stephen P. Teale Data Center from 2001 to 2004, deputy director and chief information officer for the Department of Social Services from 1999 to 2001, branch chief for the child welfare services case management system for the Department of Social Services from 1997 to 1999, and principal budget analyst for the Department of Finance from 1989 to 1997. Ramos is a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Government, a member of the Human Services Information Technology Advisory Group, and a member-at-large of TechAmerica. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,000. Ramos is a Democrat.