Gov. Newsom names new director of Cal OES, which faces scrutiny over 911 revamp
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Caroline Thomas Jacobs, a former senior manager at the technology company Apple, as the new director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services on Tuesday.
Thomas Jacobs most recently served as the director of California’s Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, a role she has held since 2021. The previous two years, Thomas Jacobs worked as the director of California Public Utilities Commission’s Wildlife Safety Division. She held various positions at Cal OES between 2014 and 2019.
Between 2010 and 2014, Thomas Jacobs worked for the Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative, the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and as an emergency preparedness independent consultant.
Prior to Thomas Jacobs’ career in public service, she worked as a senior manager at Apple from 1999 to 2007. She led the “development of worldwide retail genius bar operations in the launch of the Apple Retail Stores,” according to her Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety biography.
In January, KCRA reported that Cal OES’ former director, Nancy Ward, stepped down from her leadership position after roughly two years in that position. Christina Curry, served as the agency’s acting director and Ward stayed on as a retired annuitant to help with the transition.
“Caroline Thomas Jacobs brings a career defined by building the programs and partnerships that keep people safe,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in Tuesday statement. “I am grateful for her service and confident she will continue to advance Cal OES’s mission to protect lives, build resilience, and support our communities.”
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, who is the chair of the Assembly Emergency Management Committee, congratulated Thomas Jacobs in a Tuesday statement.
“Her diverse background in emergency management and public safety makes her well prepared to lead at a time when California must remain proactive about emergencies,” Ransom said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Thomas Jacobs will receive a compensation package of $254,455 per year.
Cal OES has come under scrutiny in recent months from California lawmakers and the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office over transparency concerns related to its Next Generation 911 project.
After spending hundreds of millions of dollars building out a modern 911 system, Cal OES leaders decided to scrap the design. The agency is currently looking for new vendors and plans to end the contracts with the companies that built out the latest system.
The LAO recommended that the Legislature pause the project until Cal OES can provide answers to questions about what problems remain with the existing system.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 5:06 PM.
