Davis Drops a Drove of Wilson Nominees

In a wholesale sweep to clear the way for his own political appointees, Democratic Gov. Gray Davis has withdrawn the nominations of 134 officials picked by former Gov. Pete Wilson for state government jobs.

They ranged from nominees to such high-profile panels as the State Board of Education and UC Board of Regents to members of obscure boards such as the Commission on State Mandates.

All of the appointees, including several named by Wilson in his final days in office, were subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

In most cases, they could have served one year without Senate approval or until their nominations were withdrawn. Some had only a few days, weeks or months left in that yearlong period; others could have occupied their positions into early next year.

Davis withdrew the names in an unpublicized move Tuesday, the second day of his administration.

Among those whose names were withdrawn were Russell Gould, a UC regent; Paul A. Woodruff, a member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District; James M. Strock, a member of the State Personnel Board; Patricia J. Megason, state director of parks and recreation; and Elaine D. Bush, director of alcohol and drug programs.

He also removed State Board of Education members Timothy C. Draper and Gerti B. Thomas, but agreed to keep student member Richard Weston and Marian Bergeson. Bergeson was Wilson’s secretary of education.

Likewise, Davis decided to keep Joanne Kozberg as a UC regent. Kozberg served in several Wilson administration posts, including secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency.

Davis also withdrew the nominations of scores of other appointees to various boards and commissions. Some of the posts are salaried; some are not.

The governor pulled back the nomination of Robert L. Ayers Jr., warden of the troubled Pelican Bay State Prison, where investigations are underway into allegations of prisoner abuse by guards.

Officials of the new administration had said they would not seek to have Ayers confirmed until they could get a clearer reading on the investigations of violence at the prison near the Oregon border.

Although Ayers’ appointment was withdrawn, he will remain at Pelican Bay as acting warden, officials said. An administration source said this will give officials more time to decide whether he is the right man for a permanent appointment.

Davis, who ran for governor as a tough-on-crime Democrat, also exempted from his withdrawal list several of his Republican predecessor’s appointees to state parole boards.

Wilson spokesman Michael Bustamante noted that during the campaign, Davis repeatedly asserted that he would “take a back seat to no one” on the issue of crime and that endorsing Wilson’s appointees to the parole boards “is absolutely consistent with [Davis’] views on crime.”

In a related development, three other Wilson-appointed prison wardens whose names were not withdrawn won unanimous approval of the Democrat-dominated Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday. Committee approval usually signals confirmation by the full Senate.

Davis has completed appointment of his 12 Cabinet secretaries, but still must fill top management spots in most state departments.

Overall, California governors control more than 2,000 appointments, ranging from justices of the Supreme Court to members of the state Board of Acupuncture to directors of local fair boards. Most do not require Senate confirmation.