SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Ryan Endean, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Communications at the California Department of Water Resources. Endean has been Acting Deputy Director of Communications at the California Department of Water Resources since 2024 and has served in several roles there since 2018, including Assistant Deputy Director of Communications, Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the Public Affairs Office and Media and Public Information Supervisor of the Public Affairs Office. Endean was Statewide Media Relations Director for the American Lung Association in California from 2016 to 2018. He held multiple roles at Blanning & Baker Associates from 2009 to 2016, including Communications Director and Media Specialist. Endean was a News Producer for KCRA-TV from 2001 to 2009. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $145,728. Endean is a Democrat. 

Drew Hodel, of Irvine, has been appointed Senior Advisor on Climate, Legal, and Intergovernmental Affairs at the California Public Utilities Commission. Hodel has been Legal and Policy Advisor to President Alice Reynolds at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2022 and was Attorney III there from 2021 to 2022. He was an Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati from 2018 to 2020 and at Sidley Austin LLP from 2017 to 2018. He was an Associate at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP from 2012 to 2016. Hodel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $153,456. Hodel is a Democrat.

Ryan Briscoe Young, of Davis, has been appointed Deputy Public Advisor at the California Energy Commission. Young was Policy Director at Dream Corps from 2022 to 2023. He served in several roles for the City and County of San Francisco from 2014 to 2022, including Senior Community Development Specialist and Contract Compliance Officer in the General Services Agency, Contract Monitoring Division. Young was Legal Counsel at The Greenlining Institute from 2010 to 2014. He was a Fellow at Urban Habitat Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute from 2011 to 2012 and a Legal Intern at the California Public Utilities Commission from 2009 to 2010. Young was a Law Clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice in 2008. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,004. Young is a Democrat.

Keiry Saravia, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Student Aid Commission. Saravia has been a Senator for the Associated Students of the California State University, Northridge College of Humanities since 2023 and serves as the Chair of Legislative Affairs there. She has been a Cashier at ACE Hardware since 2022. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Saravia is a Democrat.