FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Terrie Prosper, 415.703.1366, news@cpuc.ca.gov

Commissioner Rachelle Chong Announces
Staff Changes

SAN FRANCISCO, December 20, 2007 - California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Rachelle Chong today announced changes to her personal staff, effective January 1, 2008.

Robert Haga will assume the role of Commissioner Chong's new Chief of Staff, replacing Lynn Carew who announced her retirement from the CPUC after 28 years of service.

Joining Commissioner Chong's office at the beginning of 2008 is Joseph P. Como, who will serve as a Legal Advisor for energy, water, and transportation matters.

In May 2007, Jane Whang had joined Commissioner Chong's office as a Legal Advisor, with emphasis on telecommunications issues, replacing Dr. Timothy Sullivan, who became an advisor to Commissioner Timothy Alan Simon.

Andrew Campbell will continue to serve as Senior Energy Advisor to Commissioner Chong.

Since March 2006, Mr. Haga has served as Commissioner Chong's Senior Telecommunications Advisor. He also serves as a member of the Staff Committee for the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, and as a member of the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners' Staff Subcommittee on Telecommunications. Prior to joining the CPUC, Mr. Haga was Vice President of Strategic Planning and USAC Operations at the Universal Service Administrative Company in Washington D.C. Mr. Haga joined USAC in 1998 as its third employee, and during his seven years with USAC, he was responsible for a broad range of issues, including the high cost and low income support mechanisms, corporate finance, information technology, and audits. Prior to USAC, Mr. Haga served as the Director of Government Relations for the National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc. He has also worked at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a Legal Intern for then-FCC Commissioner Chong and as a Law Clerk at the Department of Energy. He holds a J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University. 

Mr. Como was an attorney in the CPUC's legal division prior to joining Commissioner Chong's staff. Previously, he worked for six years at the San Francisco City Attorney's Office on energy matters related to CPUC and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission jurisdictional matters; and prior to that with Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund. In his former career, Mr. Como worked for over 15 years as a civil engineer on various water, wastewater, and hazardous waste treatment projects in California and several other states. Mr. Como holds a Law Degree from Golden Gate University with an emphasis in environmental law, a Masters degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University, and a Bachelors degree in Natural Resources Planning from Cornell University.

Ms. Whang, an attorney with the CPUC since 2006, has served as Commissioner Chong's Legal Advisor, with emphasis on telecommunications issues, since May 2007. From 1999 to 2006, Ms. Whang was an associate at the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP in San Francisco, and represented telecommunications clients before the CPUC and the FCC. Prior to that, she was an attorney-advisor at the FCC working on universal service issues, and a staff attorney at the Federal Elections Commission. Ms. Whang received her J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and her B.A. degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.

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