Gov. Newsom announces new Department of Public Health Director
On Monday, Governor Newsom’s office announced he has appointed Tomás Aragón as the new director of the California Department of Public Health.
The same day, Newsom’s office announced Elizabeth Landsberg has been named director of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and Mary Watanabe has been appointed director of the California Department of Managed Health Care.
From a release from the governor’s office:
Tomás Aragón, 61, of San Francisco, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Public Health. Aragón has been Health Officer for the City and County of San Francisco and Director of the Population Health Division for the San Francisco Department of Public Health since 2011. He has been Volunteer Faculty for the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health since 2004. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School, a Doctor of Public Health Degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $275,650. Aragón is a Democrat.
Elizabeth Landsberg, 51, of Sacramento, has been appointed Director of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Landsberg has been Deputy Director of the Help Center for the California Department of Managed Health Care since 2016. She was Director of Policy Advocacy for the Western Center on Law and Poverty from 2006 to 2016, Supervising Attorney for the Health Rights Hotline at Legal Services of Northern California from 2000 to 2006 and a Law Clerk at the U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico from 1999 to 2000. She was a Ruth Chance Law Fellow for Equal Rights Advocates from 1998 to 1999. Landsberg earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $192,402. Landsberg is a Democrat.
Mary Watanabe, 48, of Roseville, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Managed Health Care, where she has served as Acting Director since 2020 and as Acting Chief Deputy Director since 2019. She was Deputy Director for Health Policy and Stakeholder Relations for the California Department of Managed Health Care from 2015 to 2019 and Deputy Director of the Sales Division for Covered California from 2013 to 2015. Watanabe was Staff Services Manager I at the California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board from 2012 to 2013, where she was a Research/Health Program Specialist I from 2008 to 2012. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $186,389. Watanabe is registered without party preference.
