Newsom appoints new public health director from San Francisco

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As the state continues to experience a new surge of COVID-19 cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that San Francisco Health Officer Tomás J. Aragón has been chosen to lead the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, announced Aragón's appointment as the new CDPH director in a briefing Monday in Sacramento, Calif.

RELATED: Gov. Newsom announces new, regional stay-at-home order in California

Aragón has been San Francisco's health officer since 2011 and will replace Sandra Shewry, who had been serving as the state Department of Public Health's interim director since the previous director Sonia Angell stepped down in August.

The appointment of Aragón, who has also been volunteer faculty for the University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health since 2004, requires state Senate confirmation.

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