On May 1, Governor Jerry Brown announced the following changes in staff positions at the Department of Water Resources following Thursday's release of the revised Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).
The three people appointed to new positions at the Department - Richard Stapler, Nancy Vogel and Ed Wilson - are all names well-known to those who follow the water wars and the Governor's campaign to build the twin tunnels under the Delta.
One of the key differences between the previous version of the BDCP and the latest incarnation is that it now calls for only "restoring" 30,000 acres for wetland and wildlife habitat - down from the 100,000 acres originally proposed.
The other major difference is that the BDCP has been split into two components - The "California Water Fix" component for the tunnels and the "California Eco Restore" component for the habitat "restoration" component.
Environmental groups and Delta advocates criticize the updated Bay Delta Conservation Plan for being nothing more than a "slightly revised" water grab for corporate agribusiness interests - and said it is even worse than the previous version for fish, the environment and people. (http://www.dailykos.com/...)
Stapler, Vogel and Wilson will really have their work cut out for them in trying to convince the California public that the tunnels project will "restore" the Delta ecosystem and provide water supply "reliability" when it does neither.
Richard Stapler, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy secretary for policy implementation at the California Natural Resources Agency, where he has served as deputy secretary of communications since 2011. He was director of communications for Kaufman Campaigns from 2010 to 2011, director of legislation and community outreach for the California Prison Healthcare Receivership at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2008 to 2009 and director of communications for the Yes on Prop 93 campaign from 2007 to 2008.
Stapler served as press secretary and deputy director of communication in the Office of California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez from 2005 to 2008, was deputy director of communications and marketing at Human Rights Campaign in 2005, deputy press secretary and legislative aide in the Office of California State Assembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson Jr. from 2002 to 2004 and an account manager at Ross-Campbell Inc. from 1998 to 2002. Stapler is a member of the Sacramento Press Club and the Stonewall Democrats Club. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $132,276. Stapler is a Democrat.
Nancy Vogel, 47, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy secretary for communications at the California Natural Resources Agency. Vogel has served as assistant director for public affairs at the California Department of Water Resources since 2012. She was a principal consultant for the California State Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes from 2008 to 2012, a reporter at the Los Angeles Times from 2000 to 2008 and a staff writer at the Sacramento Bee from 1991 to 2000. Vogel earned a Master of Arts degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $121,356. Vogel is registered without party preference.
Ed Wilson, 59, of Placerville, has been appointed assistant director of public affairs at the California Department of Water Resources, where he has served as deputy assistant director of public affairs since 2015. He has been assistant director of communications at the California Department of Conservation since 2005, where he has served in several positions since 2000, including interim assistant director and public information officer.
Wilson was news director at KTXL-TV from 1998 to 2000, news marketing producer at KOVR-TV from 1995 to 1998, a consultant at Wilson Broadcasting Resources from 1992 to 1998 and executive news producer at KXTV-TV from 1990 to 1994. He was a news director at KCOY-TV from 1989 to 1990, an executive news producer at WCPO-TV from 1987 to 1989 and a news director at KGPE-TV from 1979 to 1987. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $104,064. Wilson is registered without party preference.