California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday named Timothy Alan Simon, a financial industry lawyer/professor, to fill the fifth seat on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The seat had been vacant since the end of last year when the term of another lawyer, Geoffrey Brown, expired. The six-year appointment is subject to state Senate confirmation.

Simon, 51, most recently was the governor’s appointments secretary, joining Schwarzenegger’s administration in January 2006 from the position of general counsel/chief compliance officer at Global Crown Capital LLC. From 2002 to 2005, Simon was vice president and chief compliance officer for Preferred Trade Inc.

In naming the fifth member of the CPUC, Schwarzenegger said one of his top priorities is to “reduce California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” and in that regard he has worked closely with the CPUC on his million solar roofs program. “Timothy’s background in business and financial services and regulatory law will be fantastic assets to the CPUC to continue seeking affordable, reliable and a more environmentally-friendly energy supply.”

Simon said in moving to the CPUC he was looking forward “to working on new opportunities to innovate and lead the way towards clean energy and a healthier, more prosperous future.”

A resident of San Francisco where the CPUC is headquartered, Simon holds a law degree from the University of California Hastings College of Law in the city, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco. In addition to his financial industry positions, Simon is an adjunct professor of law at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, and he has taught classes at his alma mater, Hastings.

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