Gov. Brown reappoints two to CHSRA's board

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday reappointed Dan Richard and Tom Richards to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) board.

A principal at Dan Richard Advisors, Richard has served on the board since 2011 and currently is chairman. He previously was managing partner and co-founder of Heritage Oak Capital Partners, and senior vice president of public policy and governmental relations at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Prior to that, Richard was a principal at Morse, Richard, Weisenmiller and Associates and VP of the Independent Power Corp.

He also served a stint as deputy legal affairs secretary in the governor's office and was an advisor to the chairman at the California Energy Commission.

Chief executive officer of The Penstar Group, Richards has served on the board since 2010 and currently is vice chairman. He is chair of Premier Valley Bank and Fresno Regional Workforce Investment, and a board member for Fresno Chaffee Zoo Corp. and Fresno First Steps Home.

Established in 2003, CHRSA’s board oversees planning, construction and operation of the state’s high-speed rail system. The nine-member board includes five members appointed by the governor, two appointed by the state Senate Committee on Rules and two appointed by the state’s speaker.  Each board member serves a four-year term.