Governor Brown Appoints Cynthia Gomez As Tribal Advisor

Governor Brown Appoints Cynthia Gomez As Tribal Advisor

by Dan Bacher

Governor Jerry Brown today announced the appointment of Cynthia Gomez, 54, of Sacramento, as the Governor's Tribal Advisor and executive secretary for the Native American Heritage Commission.

Gomez has been the chief justice for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Court since 2010, according to a statement from the Governor's Office. She was assistant secretary of environmental justice and tribal governmental policy for the California Environmental Protection Agency from 2008 to 2010, chief of the Native American Liaison Branch for the California Department of Transportation from 1999 to 2008, and a housing and community development representative for the California Department of Housing and Community Development from 1989 to 1999.

Gomez is a member of the Tribal and State Court Forum for the California Administrative Office of the Courts and has served as chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Native American Transportation Issues Committee. Gomez received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law.

These positions do not require Senate confirmation and the total compensation is $140,000. Gomez is a Democrat.

Governor Brown established this position by Executive Order on September 19, 2011 "to bolster communication and collaboration between California state government and Native American Tribes. The Tribal Advisor will serve as a direct link between the Governor’s Office and tribal governments on matters including legislation, policy and regulation."

The Tribal Advisor will have to deal with a myriad of issues, including tribal tribal health and welfare, tribal gaming, the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the peripheral canal, and water and land rights.

For more information, click here: http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17222.