1st Latina Named To CA Utilities Commission

LOS ANGELES - HOPE applauds Governor Jerry Brown for the historic appointment of Catherine Sandoval to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).  In the 100 year history of the CPUC, Sandoval is the first Latino/Latina to be appointed as a member of this powerful and influential commission. The CPUC regulates privately owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit and passenger transportation companies.  It serves the public interest, regulates utility service, stimulates innovation and promotes competitive markets where possible.

HOPE believes that Sandoval’s solid experience in telecommunications, energy, contract and anti-trust law, as well as her community involvement, will provide the CPUC a fair, balanced and informed perspective.  She is a tenured professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, served as Under Secretary and Senior Policy Advisor at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, was Vice-President and General Counsel of Z-Spanish Media Corporation,  Director of the Office of Communications, Business Opportunities for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and was an Associate with Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School, her B.A. from Yale, and is the first Latina Rhodes Scholar.

Three weeks after taking his oath of office, Governor Brown not only appointed a Latina to the CPUC, but he also appointed Ana Matosantos as Director of the Department of Finance; clearly demonstrating his commitment to ensuring that  positions in his administration are filled with highly qualified and diverse candidates that reflect the diversity of this great State of California. He has also made other key appointments of Latinos.

HOPE, a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to ensuring political and economic parity for Latinas though leadership, advocacy, and education to benefit all communities and the status of women, is a part of the California Women’s State Appointment Project (CWSAP). CWSAP is a new coalition that encourages and recruits women to seek appointments in the Brown Administration. The coalition has presented Governor Brown with hundreds of resumes for paid and unpaid appointed positions.