Governor Newsom announces appointments 7.17.24
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Melany Acosta-Parra, of Kerman, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Acosta-Parra has been a Recreation Leader for the City of Kerman Parks and Recreation Department since 2021. She served on the Kerman Youth Commission from 2021 to 2024. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Acosta-Parra is a Democrat.
Raj Bhutoria, of Fremont, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Bhutoria has been Chief of Staff at Snappr since 2023. He was a Strategy Analyst at Accenture from 2022 to 2023 and a Researcher at the Financial Economics Institute from 2019 to 2021. Bhutoria was an Appel Writing Fellow in 2019. He was a Business Strategy Specialist for BYTON Electric Cars in 2019. Bhutoria was a Legal Assistant to the Office of the Alameda County District Attorney in 2018. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and was Chair of Congressman Ro Khanna’s Student Advisory Committee in 2016. Bhutoria earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Computer Science from Claremont McKenna College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Bhutoria is a Democrat.
Madyson Chung-Lee, of Irvine, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Chung-Lee is a Student Representative on the Mission Fulfillment Committee on the Scripps College Board of Trustees, the Faculty and Staff Relations Chair of Scripps Associated Student Government, a Senior Trainer for the California Association of Student Councils, and the Co-President of the League of Women Voters for the Claremont College Consortium. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Chung-Lee is a member of the Green Party.
Trevor Merrell, of Rohnert Park, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Merrell has been a Behavioral Therapist at Autism Comprehensive Educational Services since 2023. He served as an Electronic Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2018 to 2022. Merrell serves as an Officer At-Large for the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Merrell is a Democrat.
Collin McCarthy, of Burlingame, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. McCarthy has been a Judicial Intern at the Santa Clara County Superior Court since 2024. He was a Case Assistant at Cotchett, Pitre, & McCarthy from 2019 to 2023. McCarthy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. McCarthy is a Democrat.
Giselle Morris, of Hollister, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Morris served as Vice President of Students Against Destructive Decisions and Treasurer of San Benito Kiwanis Club. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Morris is not registered to vote.
Wednesday Pope, of Placerville, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Pope has been a Youth Advocate at John Burton Advocates for Youth since 2024. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Pope is registered without party preference.
Adelina Ramirez, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Ramirez has been a Youth Summer Intern at the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center since 2024 and a Fellow at the Aaron Price Fellowship Program since 2022. She was a Student Intern for the University of California, San Diego Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence in 2023. Ramirez is Student Chair for the San Diego Unified School District Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for Racial Justice and Equity, Student Equity Ambassador for the San Diego Unified School District and a member of The Wing and San Diego High School Volleyball Team. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Ramirez is not registered to vote.
Andrea Terrones, of Eastvale, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Terrones has been a Records Clerk at Jacoby and Meyers LLP since 2023. Terrones was a Research Aide at the University of California, Riverside Latino and Latin American Studies Research Center in 2023. She was an Organizing Fellow for Golden State Opportunity in 2022. Terrones was a Prop 16 Fellow for Yes on Prop 16 in 2020. She is Founder and President of Womxn in the Law, a Youth Teen Ministry Leader at Saint Oscar Romero Roman Catholic Church, and a member of the Latina Golfers Association. Terrones earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Terrones is a Democrat.
Jocelyn Weinstock, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Weinstock was an Intern at Modern Animal from 2023 to 2024. She is a Tutor at High Rise Tutoring. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Weinstock is not registered to vote.
Brianna “Shae” Dellamaggiore, of Chowchilla, has been appointed an Alternate to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Dellamaggiore has been a Youth Advisory Consultant for ACEs Aware since 2023 and a Youth Advisory Consultant for the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls from 2023 to 2024. They are a Policy Trainee Member and Chapter Chair at California Youth Connection. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dellamaggiore is registered without party preference.
Jessica Mi, of San Francisco, has been appointed an Alternate to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Mi has been a Sustainability Specialist at Autodesk since 2024. She was a Carbon Analyst at ENGIE Impact from 2022 to 2024. Mi was a Workplace Sustainability Contractor at Okta from 2021 to 2022. She was a Community-Engaged Researcher at the Wong-Parodi Lab in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment from 2019 to 2022. Mi is a member of California Youth Connection. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Systems and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Mi is a Democrat.
Avanti Ramraj, of Santa Clara, has been appointed an Alternate to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Ramraj has been an Intern at Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine (SIRUM) since 2024, a Clinical Research Assistant at the Brooks Lab at Stanford Medical School since 2023, and an Intern at the California State Treasurer’s Office since 2019. She was an Intern for the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association from 2018 to 2021. Ramraj was an Organizer for the California Democratic Fund-Raising Association in 2020. She is a member of the Stanford Women in Medicine Executive Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Ramraj is a Democrat.
Sarah Yee, of Granite Bay, has been appointed an Alternate to the California Youth Empowerment Commission. Yee has been a Youth Crisis Counselor for the California Youth Crisis Line since 2022. She was and Intern for the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association’s (APAPA) Youth Leadership Academy from 2022 to 2023. Yee is member of Key Club, the Asian American Journalists Association, the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Journalism Education Association of Northern California. She was Co-Editor-in-Chief of Granite Bay Today from 2023 to 2024. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Yee is a Democrat.