By Zach Friend, County Supervisor 2nd District
I recently invited Governor Brown’s top Appointments Secretary, Mona Pasquil Rogers, to host a workshop in Aptos on how to get appointed by the governor to state boards and commissions. A few months ago I spoke with the Secretary about what I believe to be a lack of representation on these state bodies by Santa Cruz County residents. She graciously agreed to host a workshop to encourage more applications from our area and I wanted to provide some follow-up information in case you were unable to attend.
What are examples of state boards and commissions?
The governor’s website, www.gov.ca.gov/home.php provides a comprehensive list of the boards and commissions available for application. Without question, there is a wide variety — from governmental operations (such as the Public Employees’ Retirement System Board) to education (University of California Regents and the Commission on Teaching Credentialing) to health and human services issues (Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission and the Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Commission) to public safety (Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training).
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are commissions that deal with consumer services and housing issues, county fair boards, labor and workforce needs, food and agricultural issues and more. While not all of these commissions have vacancies at this time, spending some time to explore the options might help give you a sense of where you can contribute.
How does someone apply?
Once you’ve found a commission (or set of commissions) you believe you’d be a good match for you can apply online. From the governor’s website, www.gov.ca.gov/home.php you would click on the red tab “Appointments” along the top of the website – then click on “Boards & Commissions Appointees.” From that point you will be able to see if there is a vacancy in the commission you’re interested in and also complete the application form.
The governor’s office also suggests that interested applicants call to speak with the Secretary (or one of the deputy appointments secretaries) to share your interests and get their feedback on where you might be a good fit. They noted that sometimes that conversation helps guide people toward something they may not have thought would be their initial interest but where it turns out their specific skill set was needed the most. The Appointments Office can be reached at (916) 445-4541.
Serving on state (and local) boards and commissions are a great way to help inform and influence the policy process and give back to your community. I’m hopeful that some of our very talented local residents will consider applying for an appointment so that our county’s voice can be better represented.
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As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to call me at 454-2200.