Garamendi Gets No. 2 Interior Department Job
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WASHINGTON — Former California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, a rancher in Mokelumne Hill east of Stockton in the Sierra foothills and a two-time candidate for governor, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as deputy secretary of the Interior Department.
Garamendi, 50, who ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1982 and in 1994, was nominated for the No. 2 Interior Department post in June by President Clinton.
His wife, Patti, was previously named associate director of the Peace Corps.
“I am thrilled and challenged by the responsibilities that I have been given,” Garamendi said in a statement released Tuesday. “The Department of the Interior manages over 442 million acres of federally owned land, offshore oil and gas resources, and 586 water delivery dams and storage structures.”
Garamendi’s appointment was confirmed Friday, and he was sworn in by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.
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