SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Raymond “Ray” Sena, of Folsom, has been appointed Administrator of the Veterans Home of California, Ventura. Sena has been Chief of Veterans Home Operations at the California Department of Veterans Affairs since 2019 and has served in several roles there since 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy at the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer from 1985 to 2011. Sena is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Military Chefs. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $150,348. He is a Democrat.
Sarah Sachs, of Sacramento, has been appointed Principal User Experience Researcher at the Office of Data and Innovation. Sachs was a Senior User Experience Researcher at Meta from 2022 to 2023. She was Manager of the Web Content and Usability Group at the California Employment Development Department from 2021 to 2022. Sachs was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Data Science and Society Lab at Cornell University from 2019 to 2021. She was a Graduate Researcher in Sociology at Columbia University from 2014 to 2019 and a Product Operations Manager at Google from 2007 to 2011. Sachs is a volunteer crisis counselor for the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center. Sachs earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology, as well as a Master of International Affairs degree, from Columbia University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $136,500. Sachs is a Democrat.
Yvette Radford, of Richmond, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission, where she has served since 2017. Radford has held several positions at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals since 1995, including Regional Vice President of External and Community Affairs in Northern California and Public Affairs Director. She served as a Legislative Aid for the 14th Assembly District in the California State Legislature from 1983 to 1995. Radford is a member of the San Francisco Foundation Board of Trustees, the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation Board of Directors, the Board of California Women Lead, and the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from California State University, East Bay.
This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Radford is a Democrat.
Rebecca Ramirez, of Davis, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where she has served since 2021. Ramirez has served as Interim Fire Chief for the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District since 2023. She was Fire Chief for the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Fire Department from 2020 to 2023 and for the City of Woodland Fire Department from 2017 to 2019. She held several positions for the City of West Sacramento Fire Department from 1993 to 2017, including Deputy Fire Chief, Division Chief, Battalion Chief, Captain, Engineer and Firefighter. Ramirez is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and California Fire Chiefs Association. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Columbia Southern University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ramirez is a Democrat.
Andrew White, of Dixon, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where he has served since 2021. White has been Police Chief for the City of Martinez since 2023. He was Police Chief for the City of Clearlake from 2018 to 2022. White was an Instructor and Scenario Evaluator at the Napa Valley College Criminal Justice Training Center from 2007 to 2022. He was Police Commander for the Suisun City Police Department from 2015 to 2018, and served in several sworn positions there from 2002 to 2015. White was a Dispatcher at the Napa Police Department from 2002 to 2004. He is a member of the California Police Chiefs Association. White earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Information Technology from Union Institute and University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. He is a Republican.
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