Governor announces appointment of Lisa Middleton to state board overseeing public employee pensions ⋆ The Palm Springs Post

*Lisa Middleton, who served as Palm Springs mayor and was on the City Council for eight years, rides in the annual Veterans Day Parade in 2021. (File photo)*

Former Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton has been appointed to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System Board of Administration, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. She will help oversee a $535 billion operation serving millions of members across California.

CalPERS is a California state agency that manages retirement and health benefits for more than 1.5 million public employees, retirees, and their families. The system provides defined-benefit retirement plans based on age, service, and final salary, as well as health and, temporarily, long-term care benefits to state, school, and local agency workers across California.

The four-year appointment represents a return to CalPERS for Middleton, who previously served on the board in a position available only to local elected officials. This time, she qualified for a vacancy designated for licensed agents after completing classes and passing the required examination to obtain her license. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation and provides compensation of $100 per diem.

“There were a couple of potential appointments that I expressed very strong interest in to the governor’s office,” Middleton said by phone Wednesday evening. “This turned out to be the best fit.”

Middleton served as mayor of Palm Springs from 2021 to 2022, becoming the first openly transgender mayor in California. She was also the first openly transgender person elected to a non-judicial position in California when she joined the Palm Springs City Council in 2017, where she served until 2024.

Before entering local politics, Middleton worked for 36 years with the State Compensation Insurance Fund of California, rising to senior vice president of internal affairs with responsibilities for internal audit, fraud investigation, public records and governance. She also chaired California’s Fraud Assessment Commission in 2010.

Middleton holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California and completed the UCLA LGBT Leadership Institute. She has served on multiple boards including the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Sunline Board of Directors.