In late December, Governor Brown reappointed Michael Picker to serve on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and selected him as the president. Additionally, Governor Brown appointed Liane Randolph who brings a wealth of water experience to the CPUC from her work at the California Natural Resources Agency (Agency). The appointments were effective January 1, 2015.
Picker has served on the CPUC since January 2014 and, according to the governor’s announcement, “Michael Picker’s deep experience and sound judgment make him uniquely qualified to take on [the] role [of the President].”
Since 2011, Randolph has served as deputy secretary and general counsel of the Agency advising the secretary on such issues as the Klamath River restoration and dam removal, the California Environmental Quality Act, renewable energy and the California Coastal Commission, to name a few.
Randolph has extensive practice in government and administrative law and prior to her work at the Agency, held the position of attorney at several law firms and served as the chair of the California Political Practices Commission from 2003-2007. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
In his announcement, the governor summed up Randolph’s and Picker’s appointments by stating, “Liane Randolph has handled very difficult issues with insight and balance and will be a real asset to the commission. Most importantly, both appointees share a commitment to seeing California achieve its ambitious renewable energy goals.”
