Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. recently announced the following appointments:

Cindy Messer, 48, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief deputy director at the California Department of Water Resources, where she has served as assistant chief deputy director since 2016. She was deputy director of the Planning, Performance and Technology Division at the Delta Stewardship Council from 2012 to 2016 and assistant executive officer at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy from 2010 to 2012. Messer served in several positions in the Division of Environmental Services at the California Department of Water Resources from 1999 to 2010 including senior environmental scientist, environmental program manager, section chief and environmental scientist. She earned a Master of Science degree in conservation biology from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $162,948. Messer is a Democrat.

John Mann, 50, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of legislation at the California Department of Technology. Mann has served as communications director in the Office of California State Senator Tony Mendoza since 2014. He was communications director at the Alex Padilla for Secretary of State campaign from 2013 to 2014 and in the Office of California State Senator Alex Padilla from 2011 to 2014, at the Pedro Nava for Attorney General campaign from 2009 to 2010 and in the Office of California State Assemblymember Pedro Nava from 2006 to 2010. Mann was a consultant for the California State Senate Democratic Caucus from 1999 to 2005 and in the Office of California State Senator Jack O’Connell from 1995 to 1998. He served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Niger from 1988 to 1991. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $102,000. Mann is a Democrat.