January 4 marked Gov. Jerry Brown’s last day living in the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Sacramento. In his last few days in office, he made numerous appointments to various administrative positions, some of which pertain to the worker’s compensation industry.

48 year old Craig L. Snellings who lives in Oakland, has been appointed to the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Snellings has been house counsel for Farmers Insurance since 2014. He was a workers’ compensation insurance defense attorney at Shaw, Jacobsmeyer, Crain and Claffey from 2012 to 2013, at Mullen and Filippi from 2005 to 2006 and at Adelson, Testan, Brundo, Novell and Jimenez from 2004 to 2005. Snellings served as staff counsel at the State Compensation Insurance Fund from 2006 to 2012 and from 2002 to 2004. He is a member of the Oakland Bench and Bar Committee and the Charles Houston Bar Association. Snellings earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $153,689. Snellings is a Democrat.

Christine Baker, 69, of Berkeley, has been appointed to the Fraud Assessment Commission. She was director of the Department of Industrial Relations from 2012 to 2018, where she served as chief deputy director from 2011 to 2012. Baker was executive officer of the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation from 1994 to 2011. She was acting deputy director at the Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Workers’ Compensation from 1990 to 1994 and chief of the Department’s Division of Labor Statistics and Research from 1984 to 1989. Baker was a research assistant at the University of California, Berkeley from 1980 to 1982. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Baker is a Democrat.

Sean McNally, 62, of Bakersfield, has been reappointed to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, where he has served since 2007. McNally has been president of KBA Engineering since 2013. He was vice president of human resources and government affairs at Grimmway Farms from 1997 to 2013, partner and attorney at Hanna, Brophy, MacLean, McAleer, and Jensen from 1991 to 1997 and was an independent general contractor doing residential real estate development from 1984 to 1990. McNally was a municipal court deputy for the Kern County District Attorney’s Office from 1983 to 1984. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. McNally is registered without party preference.

Christine Bouma, 52, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, where she has served since 2012. Bouma has been president of Capitol Connection since 2000, representing firefighters and other public sector workers. She was a mathematics and computer science teacher for the Hesperia Unified School District from 1989 to 1999 and an instructor at Victor Valley Community College from 1991 to 1998. She has been president of the Institute of Governmental Advocates since 2015. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Bouma is a Democrat.

Doug Bloch, 49, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, where he has served since 2012. Bloch has been political director at Teamsters Joint Council 7 since 2010. He was the Port of Oakland campaign director for Change to Win from 2006 to 2010 and a senior research analyst at Service Employees International Union Local 1877 from 2004 to 2006. Bloch was statewide political director at the California Association of Community Organization for Reform Now from 2003 to 2004 and ran several ACORN regional offices, including Seattle and Oakland, from 1999 to 2003. He was an organizer at the Non-Governmental Organization Coordinating Committee for Northeast Thailand from 1999 to 2003. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Bloch is a Democrat.