Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) announces that two more of their members have been appointed to serve California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
James Vaughn, 42, of Laguna Hills, has been asked to serve on the California State Bar Board of Governors Examining Committee. He is currently the Director of the California Log Cabin Republicans, and has served as a consultant to Capitol Advantage Knowlegis since 2005, an online advocacy technology company.
Prior to Capitol Advantage, Vaughn served as the Deputy on the President’s USA Services E-Government initiative, developing federal-wide standards for citizen to government communications with a focus on new and emerging technologies. This was a natural outgrowth of his work as Director of Government and Politics for America Online (AOL) where, among other high profile projects, he developed the highly successful 2002 and 2004 election portals for America Online in partnership with CNN and others. These were projects that developed out of research he conducted in the Master’s program in Public Administration at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Vaughn was a political and public affairs consultant and ran dozens of campaigns in the greater Los Angeles area at the local, state and congressional level serving in many roles. He also served on the campaign staff and transition team managing external media for Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s first inauguration, and coordinated the first ever appearance by a Los Angeles mayor in the Pride Parade.
Alex Calero, 31, of San Diego, has been appointed to the State Board of Psychology. Since 2005, he has served as staff counsel in the enforcement division for the California Department of Corporations. Previously, Calero was a law clerk for the Law Office of Danny Brace in 2005 and held the same position for the California State Attorney General’s Office in 2004. Prior to that, he served as a legislative aid for Assembly member Bill Leonard.
“Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed ten people from the Log Cabin bench and we have more candidates under consideration,” said James Vaughn. “We are proud to be serving the state in such a diverse fashion.”
Founded in California in the late seventies, Log Cabin Republicans is a national organization of Republicans who support fairness, freedom, and equality for gay and lesbian Americans. Log Cabin has state and local chapters nationwide, a Washington office, a Sacramento office and federal and state political action committees.
Log Cabin is focusing its efforts on recruiting LGBT Republicans for appointment to positions of influence and public service at the state and local level. Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed over twenty eight LGBT staff, board, commission and other staff political appointees.
In addition to Alex Calero and James Vaughn, other openly gay State Commission and Board appointees include: Alan Howard (California Osteopathic Medical Board), Don Norte (Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities), Andrew Poat (California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission), Leonard Olds (California Council for the Humanities), Jon Stordahl (Commission on Teacher Credentialing); Patrick Adams (Fair Employment and Housing Commission); Greg Gandrud (Recreational Trails Committee); and Rory Diamond (Student Aid Commission) as well as Tod Burnett (Vice Chancellor, California Community Colleges) among other political staff appointees.