SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Ben Turner, 45, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Policy and Planning Advisor at the California Department of Conservation. Turner has been a Program Manager at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2020. He was Assistant Director for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the Department of Conservation from 2015 to 2020, Legislative and Communications Director in the Office of State Assemblymember Kevin Mullin from 2013 to 2015 and Policy Consultant in the Office of State Senator Fran Pavley from 2011 to 2013. Turner was Legislative Director in the Office of State Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski from 2010 to 2011, Senior Legislative Aide in the Office of State Assemblymember Pedro Nava from 2008 to 2010 and a Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellow there from 2007 to 2008. He was a Geographic Information Systems Specialist at the Cheadle Center for Biological Diversity and Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara from 2006 to 2007. Turner earned a Master of Arts degree in Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $186,600. Turner is a Democrat.

Isadore Hall III, 50, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, where he has served since 2017. Hall served as a Senator for the California State Senate’s 35th District from 2014 to 2016 and as an Assemblymember for the California State Assembly’s 64th District from 2008 to 2014.  He was a Compton City Councilmember from 2003 to 2008 and a Member of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2003. Hall earned a Master of Public Administration degree from National University, a Master of Public Administration degree in Management and Leadership from the University of Southern California and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Religious Studies from Next Dimension University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $170,464. Hall is a Democrat.

Gregory Ferraro, 76, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the California Horse Racing Board, where he has served since 2019. Ferraro was Director of the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Center for Equine Health from 1997 to 2014. He was Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Gregory L. Ferraro DVM, LLC from 1972 to 1997. Ferraro earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American Veterinary Medical Association. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Ferraro is registered without party preference.