Facing Senate rebuke, Desmond gets new gig

The following first appeared in Capitol Weekly today The day before California Energy Commission chairman Joe Desmond would have been forced to resign his post without Senate confirmation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger created a new, high-paying position in the state Resources Agency specifically for Desmond. On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger appointed Desmond undersecretary of energy affairs for the Resources Agency. It is a brand new job that will allow Desmond to coordinate the governor's energy initiatives and provide counsel to the administration on energy policies, said a Schwarzenegger spokeswoman. "He is an expert," said Schwarzenegger press secretary Margita Thompson. "The governor values his expertise and the state and administration are fortunate to have his expertise on these issues." The new job pays $123,255 per year. Desmond was first appointed by Schwarzenegger to head the energy commission last May to complete the unexpired term of predecessor William Keese. But Desmond ran afoul of Senate Democrats, led by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, who disagreed with Desmond on several critical energy issues, including electricity-market deregulation, expansion of coal-fired power and new fees on power customers--all of which Desmond has at one time advocated. In a January meeting with the governor, Senate Leader Perata made clear that if the governor were to appoint Desmond to a full term as energy-commission chairman, the Senate would not confirm Desmond. But Schwarzenegger still reappointed Desmond as chairman on January 27. Desmond would have had to be confirmed both by the Senate Rules Committee and the full Senate by May 10. But, under Perata's direction, the Senate never scheduled a confirmation hearing for Desmond, who, before being appointed as undersecretary for the Resources Agency, would have been forced to step down. "The administration and governor were hopeful that Mr. Desmond would receive a fair hearing and confirm by the Senate," said Thompson. "He is eminently qualified to serve as chair of the energy commission." On Wednesday, Perata sounded pleased to have Desmond gone from the energy commission. "That job may prove to be a better fit for Mr. Desmond," said Perata of the undersecretary post. "I look forward to a new appointment to chair the energy commission that is more appropriate in terms of the agency's mission." Desmond first joined the Schwarzenegger administration in 2004 as a deputy secretary of energy at the Resources Agency. Prior to working in state government, Desmond was the president and CEO of Infotility, Inc., an energy-consulting and software-development firm. Before that he served as an executive in several energy firms and worked as the marketing and demand-planning administrator for a publicly owned utility. Desmond's new post does not require Senate confirmation