David Rabbitt
Chair, Representing: Local Government
Supervisor David Rabbitt was elected to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in November 2010. The senior member of the Board is serving his fourth term representing the diverse blend of urban and rural comprising the Second District of Sonoma County. The Supervisor has served as Chair of the Board of Supervisors on three occasions including unprecedented back-to-back terms in 2013 and 2014. Supervisor Rabbitt also serves as a Director of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway Transportation District, Director of the Association of Bay Area Governments, Commissioner on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Chair of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit and Chair of the North Bay Water Reuse Authority. He was appointed by Governor Brown to the California Seismic Safety Commission in 2013 and again in 2017 and reappointed by Governor Newsom in 2021 representing local government. Supervisor Rabbitt is an architect and resides in Petaluma.
Debra Garnes
Vice Chair, Representing: Local Government
Debra L. Garnes was elected to the Rio Dell City Council in November 2014. She is currently serving her second term as Mayor. In her elected capacity she serves on the Humboldt/Del Norte Hazardous Response Authority and President, Redwood Empire Division, League of California Cities. Garnes, retired from Sacramento Municipal Utility District, spent her career in the fields of hazardous waste mitigation, hazardous materials, hazardous materials emergency response and first responder emergency response. Garnes has strong entrepreneurial experience having owned a successful small business in North Sacramento for many years. Garnes was appointed to the Seismic Safety Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021.
Stoyan Bumbalov
Representing: California Building Standards Commission
Stoyan Bumbalov joined the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) as its Executive Director on May 1, 2024. Stoyan has over 15 years of experience using and developing building codes and standards. He started in 2008 as a building inspector and plans examiner in the City of Fortuna, California, and then began his state service with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in 2010. At HCD, he was part of the team responsible for the development and adoption of the provisions in the California Building Standards Code, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (Title 24) related to residential buildings and structures. He also acted as a subject matter expert in projects associated with Title 24 development and other rulemaking activities.
In 2017, he promoted to a State Housing Law program manager position at HCD, where he oversaw development of residential regulations for Title 24. He was also responsible for providing training and education for inspectors and plans examiners, local enforcing agencies, design professionals and other code users.
In 2019, Stoyan launched his own consulting firm to share his building code expertise—particularly related to state and federal accessibility requirements. Then, in 2020, he was selected to be the Managing Director of the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC), a state program very similar to CBSC. In that role, he directed the technical and administrative functions of the council, including:
- Adopting and amending the Washington state building codes, including the residential and commercial energy codes.
- Working with the state’s administration and state Legislature.
- Monitoring and providing technical expertise on proposed legislative bills.
- Representing the SBCC to the media and public.
- Interacting with industry stakeholders and associations.
…and myriad other leadership duties.
Stoyan has earned multiple certifications within the building industry, including Certified Access Specialist (CASp) and eight International Code Council inspector certificates. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria.
Ida A. Clair
Representing: California Division of State Architect
Ida A. Clair was appointed as the first female State Architect in April 2021. Ida leads four regional offices and a headquarters office in providing design and construction oversight of public K–12 schools, community colleges, and various other state-owned and leased facilities, and in rulemaking development for accessibility for California’s public accommodations, public buildings, commercial buildings and public housing.
Prior to taking up the mantle as State Architect, Ida was the Principal Architect where she managed the accessibility, sustainability, and fire & life safety programs for public K–12 schools and community colleges, directed CALGreen regulatory development applicable to school facilities, directed Access Code regulatory development for the State of California, and administered the Certified Access Specialist (CASp) Program. From 2013–2016 Ida served as DSA’s first technical administrator of the CASp Program where she established the Program’s professional practice standards, improved regulatory standards and provided examination development and training.
Ida has twenty-six years’ experience in private architectural practice where she specialized in the design and construction of affordable and sustainable multifamily residential facilities and provided accessibility compliance surveys and third-party accessibility plan reviews for a major health care provider. A CASp, Ida was instrumental in the creation of the Certified Access Specialist Institute in 2010
Alegría De La Cruz
Representing: Social Services
Alegría has spent her career in public interest and public service. She currently serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Before that, she served as the Founding Director for the County of Sonoma’s Office of Equity (2020-2024), as well as in the County Counsel’s Office. Alegría has also worked for the State of California, Agricultural Labor Relations Board; the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment; and California Rural Legal Assistance. Alegría holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Yale University, a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, and has been a licensed attorney in California since 2003. Alegría is also a member of the Santa Rosa City Schools Board.
Alegría identifies as Chicana and recognizes, embraces, and celebrates her responsibility to contribute meaningfully to public service, social justice, and equity.
Joone Kim-Lopez
Representing: Public Utility
Joone Kim-Lopez has been General Manager at the Moulton Niguel Water District since 2012. She was General Manager at the Calaveras County Water District from 2010 to 2012. Kim-Lopez was Assistant General Manager at Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company from 2008 to 2010. She was Deputy General Manager at the Central Basin Municipal Water District from 2003 to 2008. Kim-Lopez was a Police Officer and Corporal at the Pasadena Police Department from 1995 to 2003. She was a Grant Administrator at the City of Pasadena from 1994 to 1995. Kim-Lopez earned a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Northridge. She is a member of the NAACP California and Hawaii Executive Committee and the CORO Women in Leadership Advisory Board. Kim-Lopez is a board member of the Korean American Coalition, California WateReuse Association, California Water Data Consortium, Southern California Water Coalition, Water UC Irvine Leadership Board, Water Now Alliance, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Tilly’s Life Center, California State University, Fullerton – Center for Real Estate, South Orange County Wastewater Authority, Smart Water Network Forum and the Association of California Water Agencies.
Kevin McGowan
Representing: Emergency Services
Kevin McGowan serves as the Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. Leading an all-hazards emergency management program, Mr. McGowan is responsible for countywide emergency management preparedness, planning, coordination, training, response, recovery and mitigation efforts. During his tenure with Los Angeles County and in previous emergency management positions, Mr. McGowan has led preparedness, response and recovery efforts for multiple presidential major disaster declarations and for numerous natural, technological and human caused disasters such as wildland fires, debris flows, severe winter storms, a mass fatality shooting and hazardous materials events.
A native of Southern California, Mr. McGowan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in Public Policy from Pepperdine University. Mr. McGowan has attended a variety of emergency management educational programs, to include FEMA’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy, the Naval Post Graduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leaders Program and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Leadership in Crises.
Dr. H. Kit Miyamoto, CEO, Miyamoto International President, Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief, California Seismic Safety Commissioner
Representing: Structural Engineer
Dr. Miyamoto is a world-leading expert in disaster resiliency, response and reconstruction. He provides expert engineering and policy consultation to the World Bank, USAID, UN agencies, governments and private sector. He is a California Seismic Safety Commissioner, a Global CEO of Miyamoto International and a structural engineer.
From the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake to the Ecuador, Nepal, Indonesia, New Zealand, Mexico and 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes, Dr. Miyamoto has led teams of experts on dozens of response and reconstruction projects around the world. He also led critical seismic risk reduction programs in Turkey, the Philippines, Romania and Bangladesh, as well as disaster risk mitigation policy work in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and El Salvador. He is one of the most respected minds in disaster resiliency and recovery.
Dr. Miyamoto holds advance degrees from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and California State University, where he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni. His team won the Engineering News-Record’s “Best Global Project” award four times and the U.S. Presidential “E” award. Major media such as ABC, CNN, LA Times, NY Times and Rolling Stone have profiled him. He was also featured in the “Designing for Disaster” exhibit at the National Building Museum.
Senator Anthony Portantino
Representing: Senate Member
Senator Anthony Portantino represents California’s 25th State Senate District, which stretches along the 210 Freeway from Sunland/Tujunga to Upland. Supporting public education, mental health, and sensible gun control have been priorities for Senator Portantino during his time in office. He personally negotiated the end of the 710-freeway tunnel with the Brown administration and authored SB 7, which formally ended the threat of the freeway, protected the non-profits in the corridor, and paved the way for Pasadena to develop the dormant freeway stub. Senator Portantino currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a Select Committee to foster trade between California, Armenia, and Artsakh. Prior to his years as a representative, he spent many years working in film and television production, served on the California Film Commission, and spent nearly eight years on the La Cañada Flintridge City Council, with two terms as Mayor. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Award at a ceremony in the historic island’s great hall. Senator Portantino grew up in New Jersey, where he attended public schools and graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he met his future wife, Ellen, a longtime business executive at Warner Brothers and Disney. They have two daughters.
Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez
Representing: California State Assembly
Assemblymember Rodriguez was elected to serve in the California State Assembly in 2013 representing the 53rd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Pomona, Ontario, Chino, Upland, and Montclair. Born and raised in the City of Pomona, Freddie has dedicated his life to serving his community. For over 30 years he worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in the San Gabriel Valley and was first elected to the Assembly during a 2013 Special Election.
As an EMT, Assemblymember Rodriguez was awarded the California Star of Life award for his outstanding community volunteer contributions and lifesaving rescues. In 2005, he traveled to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to help the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2014, Rodriguez was named EMT of the Year by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.
As a former Pomona City Councilmember, Rodriguez successfully fought to improve public safety, expand Neighborhood Watch programs, help develop the Rio Rancho Towne Center, create new jobs through economic development projects he championed, and deliver balanced budgets while protecting city services during tough economic times. He led the effort to restore public safety positions in Pomona.
A leader in helping jumpstart the local economy, Rodriguez brought together community and business leaders to help revitalize downtown Pomona, generate new economic investment, and create new jobs.
Since joining the State Assembly, Rodriguez has worked hard to improve working conditions for emergency responders, school safety, local transportation needs, and more. As an advocate for the Inland Empire, he has been instrumental in State investment into the community, championing funding for affordable housing, reduction in homelessness, and new green spaces.
He lives in Pomona with his wife Michelle. They have four children, Desirae, Freddie Jr., Vincent, and Selena; and three grandchildren.
Cindy Silva
Representing: Local Government
Cindy Silva has been a member of the Walnut Creek City Council since 2006 and served as the City’s mayor in 2011 and in 2013. As a city council member, Silva serves on numerous regional and state-level boards and agencies: Director, League of California Cities; director, East Bay Regional Communications Systems Authority; director and past chair, Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority (Recycle Smart); director and past chair, TRANSPAC (regional transportation planning committee); past president, East Bay Division, League of California Cities; chair, Contra Costa County Mayors’ Conference. Professionally, Silva has 40 years of business experience in marketing and communications in industries as diverse as telecommunications, biotech, healthcare, and the non-profit sector. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California.
Nancy Ward
Representing: California Governor's Office of Emergency Services
Nancy Ward is the Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the first woman to hold the position, which she started in January 2023. Ward started her Emergency Management career in 1985, with the California Department of Social Services and went on to serve in several positions at Cal OES starting in the early 90s and again in 2014, bringing decades of distinguished leadership in emergency management, including at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Ward had been a Retired Annuitant at Cal OES since 2017, where she was Chief Deputy Director and Homeland Security Deputy Advisor from 2014 to 2017. In 2009, she served as the FEMA Acting Administrator within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Ward was Regional Administrator for FEMA Region IX, which serves Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and American Samoa, from 2006 to 2014, and served as FEMA Response and Recovery Division Director from 2000 to 2006.
Ward served in two details at FEMA headquarters as the Deputy Director of the Recovery Directorate during FEMA’s response and recovery operations for the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. She has also served in various senior management positions in more than 100 disasters, including severe storms, flooding, wildfires, landslides, mudslides, and earthquakes in California, response to 911 and Hurricane Katrina, and Pacific area earthquakes, tsunamis, and severe drought.
Before joining FEMA, Ward was Chief of the Disaster Assistance Branch and Deputy State Coordinating Officer for Cal OES. She administered the state’s Natural Disaster Assistance Act program assistance provisions, which provide disaster assistance funding to local governments for state-level emergencies and disasters.
Ward has received awards for extraordinary accomplishments, including the 2007 DHS Award for Excellence for her leadership during the California wildfires, President Obama’s 2009 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive, was inducted in 2012 into the International Woman in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Hall of Fame, and received the 2023 California Woman in Homeland Security Leadership Award.
Vincent Wells
Representing: Fire Protection
Vincent L. Wells of Elk Grove has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. Wells served as Fire Captain and Paramedic at the Contra Costa Fire Protection District from 1997 to 2020. He was a Firefighter and Paramedic at the Fairfield Fire Department from 1995 to 1997. Wells served in the U.S. Air Force from 1985 to 1992.
Vacant Insurance Commissioner
Representing: Insurance
Vacant Planning Commissioner
Representing: Planning
Staff | Title |
Annde Ewertsen | Executive Director |
Nicole Mendoza | Program Manager |
Tanya Black | Administrative Processes Manager |
Jia Wang-Connelly | Senior Structural Engineer |
Program Analyst | |
Christopher Lozano | Program Analyst |