On May 11, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) Board of Directors Chair Dan Richard issued the following statement regarding the appointment of California Assembly member Dr. Joaquin Arambula as an Ex Officio Board member to the Board by Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon.

“We thank the California Assembly for the appointment of Dr. Joaquin Arambula to the Authority Board of Directors as an Ex Officio member,” said Richard. “Dr. Arambula has been a long-time advocate of California’s high-speed rail program, and has sought to ensure that the residents of the Central Valley see the benefits of the ongoing construction of high-speed rail. He will make a valuable and welcome addition to our Board, and we welcome his thoughts and his voice.”

Dr. Joaquin Arambula was elected in April 2016 in a special election to represent California’s 31st Assembly District. Since 2007, Dr. Arambula has served in a senior position with California Emergency Physicians (CEP) at Adventist Hospital in Selma, and was appointed Medical Director in early 2013. In the Assembly, his focus is
on efforts to increase access to healthcare for low-income Californians, fight for increased water supplies for the Central Valley and improve air quality. He currently lives in Fresno with his family.

In 2016, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 1813, which added two non-voting ex officio members to the Board. The Honorable Jim Beall was appointed to the Authority’s Board of Directors as an Ex Officio Board member in March by the Senate Committee on Rules.

(Source: CHSRA)