Gov. Jerry Brown poised to name ‘jobs czar’
Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to name retired Bank of America Executive Vice President Michael E. Rossi as his new top jobs advisor, numerous Capitol sources have confirmed.
Brown is expected to announce the appointment at a Capitol news conference Thursday. Rossi could not be reached for comment.
According to BusinessWeek magazine, Rossi began his career with Bank of America in 1966, working as a desk officer in San Francisco. After a series of international banking roles for Citibank and Wells Fargo, he returned to Bank of America in 1986 as senior vice president. He retired from the company in 1997.
Rossi serves on the board of Shorenstein Properties, a San Francisco-based firm that owns more than $6.2 billion in commercial property, and as a senior advisor to the San Francisco 49ers, according to an online biography.
Business leaders have urged Brown for months to appoint a “jobs czar.”
Carl Guardino, president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, said having a point person in the administration focused on an overall jobs plan is essential to lowering the state’s double-digit unemployment rate.
“This person has got to … be willing to … push for what’s needed to strengthen the business climate and create jobs in California,” Guardino said. “That’s not going to be an easy role.”
