Head of Veterans Affairs Quits After 4 1/2 Months

State Veterans Secretary James R. Ramos has resigned after 4 1/2 months as the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gov. Gray Davis named Undersecretary Tomas Alvarado to replace Ramos as head of the 1,550-employee department.

Davis said in a statement late Monday that he had accepted Ramos’ resignation but did not elaborate on the reasons.

Ramos was the lone Republican in Davis’ Cabinet and had clashed with members of the California Veterans Board, which sets policy for the department.

Hearings on Ramos’ confirmation for the job had been scheduled twice by the Senate Rules Committee and canceled after Veterans Board members said that they would be there to oppose Ramos’ confirmation.

Ramos, 63, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and spent 20 years in the Army Signal Corps, including two tours in Vietnam. He earned two master’s degrees and eventually settled in Cameron Park, where he ran a consulting business and a communications business.

Ramos has a service-connected disability and spent years doing volunteer work for veterans in need. He also founded the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Network, a coalition of 200 businesses owned by veterans with disabilities that helps members compete for government contracts.

Alvarado, 52, is an ex-Marine sergeant and Vietnam veteran who served as deputy director of operations for the department from 1991 to 1995. He served as legislative assistant to the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1976 to 1980.

Before joining the Davis administration in January, Alvarado taught bilingual classes in the Pasadena Unified School District for two years and was active in Davis’ gubernatorial campaign.

Alvarado is a Democrat and resides in San Gabriel. He will receive a salary of $112,890.