Governor Newsom announces appointments 8.22.25

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Daniel Villaseñor, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Communications at the California Natural Resources Agency. Villaseñor has been Deputy Director of Communications at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2024, where he has held multiple roles since 2022, including Deputy Press Secretary and Manager of Strategic Initiatives, and Deputy Press Secretary. He was Communications Director in the California State Senate from 2021 to 2022. Villaseñor held multiple roles at Randle Communications from 2018 to 2021, including Manager of Digital Public Affairs, Digital Public Affairs Strategist, Account Executive, and Assistant Account Executive. He was Founder of DW Digital Consulting from 2016 to 2018. Villaseñor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Communication from George Washington University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $165,240. Villaseñor is a Democrat.

Blake Kaiser-Lack, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Director for External Affairs and Operations at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Kaiser-Lack has been Director of Scheduling at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom since 2022, where he has held multiple roles since 2020, including Special Assistant to the Governor for Briefings and Correspondence, Executive Assistant to the Governor, and Staff Assistant. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Economics from Georgetown University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $114,756. Kaiser-Lack is Democrat. 

Sushma Bhatia, of Cupertino, has been reappointed to the Board of Environmental Safety, where she has served since 2022. Bhatia has been Global Business and Applied AI Director at Google since 2024, where she was Global Head of Strategy and Operations from 2019 to 2024. She held multiple roles at Accenture from 2014 to 2019, including Business Strategy Senior Manager, Manager, and Consultant. Bhatia was Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dreeya from 2012 to 2016. Bhatia held multiple roles at the San Francisco Department of the Environment from 2003 to 2013, including Toxics Reduction Program Manager and Coordinator. Bhatia earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $93,135. Bhatia is a Democrat.