Davis Chooses 2 Angelenos for Key State Posts

As his gubernatorial appointments begin to pick up pace, Gov.-elect Gray Davis on Wednesday selected two Angelenos for top state positions.

Davis named Westside attorney Aileen Adams, a former director of the U.S. Justice Department’s office for crime victims, as secretary of State and Consumer Services. It is a cabinet-level post that oversees 12 departments ranging from Consumer Affairs to the Franchise Tax Board.

He also chose Los Angeles County firefighters union president Dallas Jones to head the state Office of Emergency Services, which handles disasters.

The two additions bring Davis’ top-tier appointments so far to 17. Adams’ appointment fills the eighth of 12 gubernatorial cabinet jobs.

Adams, 53, joins a growing group of Davis appointees who date to the Gov. Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. administration, when Davis was chief of staff. Adams chaired the state Consumer Advisory Council from 1975 to 1981.

She also is the third Davis appointee brought to his attention by the Women’s Appointment Project, a nonprofit effort that before the 1998 primary sought and received commitments from all gubernatorial candidates.

Adams, a former prosecutor and reserve police officer, spent many years as a victim’s advocate, first as legal counsel to Santa Monica’s Rape Treatment Center and then at the Justice Department from 1994 to 1997. She previously was appointed by former Mayor Tom Bradley to the Los Angeles City Fire Commission and became its president in 1993.

On Wednesday, Adams said she was attracted to the job because of her interest in making government more consumer-friendly, an area that consumer advocates say deteriorated during the Wilson administration. During the Brown years, Adams helped change the makeup of various consumer boards and commissions so they were no longer dominated by industry.

“Breaking out of the traditional way of doing things works better for people who work in the system and for the customers,” she said.

Jones, 55, has been a county firefighter since 1965. He is a member of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and was appointed by President Clinton to a national committee that provides search and rescue advice to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

During his years as a labor leader, including a post as secretary-treasurer of the California Professional Firefighters, Jones fought to preserve firefighting staffing levels.

He was known for taking strong positions, such as publicly defending a firefighter who put up a poster of John Wayne, considered by some to be a racist.

In a prepared statement, Jones characterized the state’s disaster response system as excellent, and said he anticipates “improving relations with the federal government and FEMA regarding . . . vital programs that will look after the health and well-being of Californians.”