Public paper · October 9, 2026 · State government desk · California
California: Governor Newsom names 8 people to state posts, including a chief AI engineer (Oct. 9, 2026)
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced eight appointments on Oct. 9, 2026: leaders at the State Board of Education, Caltrans, the departments of Health Care Services, Rehabilitation, State Hospitals and Managed Health Care, a chief AI engineer at the Office of Data and Innovation, and a Youth Empowerment Commission member. None needs Senate confirmation. Appointees come from Sacramento, San Diego, San Mateo, Los Angeles and Marin counties.
noticenearby.com/papers/california-governor-newsom-appointments-oct-9-2026.pdf
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced eight appointments to state jobs and a commission on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. None of the posts requires confirmation by the state Senate.
Four of the eight live in Sacramento County (Sacramento, Elk Grove and Folsom). The others are from San Diego, San Mateo, Whittier in Los Angeles County, and Belvedere-Tiburon in Marin County. The best-paid job on the list is medical director of Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, at $456,072 a year.
Who was appointed
- Sara Pietrowski (Sacramento): Chief Deputy Executive Director, State Board of Education. Pay: $218,256. She has been chief governmental relations officer at the California Association of School Business Officials since 2024 and worked at the State Board of Education from 2017 to 2024.
- Michael Marks (San Diego): Chief AI Engineer, Office of Data and Innovation. Pay: $194,892. He has been principal lead data scientist at Analytica Consulting since 2018.
- Jimmy O’Dea (San Mateo): Deputy Director of Sustainability, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Pay: $174,000. He has been Caltrans’ assistant deputy director of transportation electrification since 2022.
- Bambi Cisneros (Elk Grove): Deputy Director, Office of Strategic Partnerships, Department of Health Care Services. Pay: $194,640. She has worked at the department since 2013, most recently as assistant deputy director for managed care.
- Susan Pelbath (Folsom): Chief Programs Officer, Department of Rehabilitation. Pay: $194,004. She has been deputy director of the department’s Specialized Services Division since 2022.
- Johnnie Chi (Whittier): Medical Director, Metropolitan State Hospital, Department of State Hospitals. Pay: $456,072. He has been a senior psychiatrist supervisor at Department of State Hospitals – Coalinga since 2022.
- Jason Montiel (Sacramento): Deputy Director of Communication and Planning, Department of Managed Health Care. Pay: $143,004. He has been a spokesperson at the California Department of Social Services since 2020.
- Avery Emerson Fisher (Belvedere-Tiburon): Member, Youth Empowerment Commission. Pay: $100 per diem. She has been an ambassador for the Aquarium of the Bay since 2026.
Local briefs
Sacramento County: https://noticenearby.com/briefs/ca-sacramento-newsom-appointments-2026-10-09
San Diego County: https://noticenearby.com/briefs/ca-san-diego-michael-marks-chief-ai-engineer-2026-10-09
San Mateo County: https://noticenearby.com/briefs/ca-san-mateo-jimmy-odea-caltrans-sustainability-2026-10-09
Los Angeles County: https://noticenearby.com/briefs/ca-los-angeles-johnnie-chi-metropolitan-state-hospital-2026-10-09
Marin County: https://noticenearby.com/briefs/ca-marin-avery-fisher-youth-empowerment-commission-2026-10-09
Where to learn more
Original source: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom press release "Governor Newsom announces appointments," Oct. 9, 2026, delivered to the Notice Nearby publisher inbox. Governor’s newsroom: https://www.gov.ca.gov/newsroom/. Notice Nearby wrote this paper in its own words and left out party labels.
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Notes and sources
- Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
- Source: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, press release, Oct. 9, 2026.
- Hero photo: California State Capitol, Sacramento — Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending).
- Notice Nearby is a Public Register listing, not a newspaper, and this page is not Legal Publication. If the agency and this note disagree, the agency wins.
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Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).