Former California treasurer Hayes joins treasurer-elect Fong's transition team.

LOS ANGELES -- Former California Treasurer Tom Hayes, a Republican who was defeated by Kathleen Brown in the 1990 treasurer's race, has joined Treasurer-elect Matt Fong's nine-member transition team.

Ron Rogers, a Sacramento, Calif.-based political consultant who handled the day-to-day operations of Fong's campaign, will be named deputy treasurer, the number two post in the Fong Administration. Rogers will also serve as chief of staff to Fong.

No other staff appointments have been announced, but Hayes' role on the transition team is likely to fuel industry speculation that he might seek a permanent slot in the treasurer's office.

But "other than Ron Rogers, no other positions have been filled at the trasurer's office," said Stan Devereux, Fong's current deputy and chief of staff at the state Board of Equalization, where Fong now serves as vice chairman.

Devereux will handle media relations for the treasurer's office, he said Friday.

Asked if Hayes or any other transition team members are candidates for permanent positions, Devereux said, "No determination has been made, nor would I rule out anyone."

Fong's decision to name Rogers to the deputy treasurer post is not unusual. Politicians often name campaign aides to high posts. Brown, for instance, named her own campaign manager and onetime fund-raiser, Beverly Thomas, as assistant treasurer.

Rogers is a veteran policy and political consultant at Russo-Marsh & Associates. He has served as chief of staff to Senate Republican leader ken Maddy and former Orange County supervisor Bruce Nestande.

Along with Fong, Hayes, Rogers, and Devereux, former Goldman, Sachs & Co. executive Bill Donovan is helping with transition planning. As previously disclosed, Donovan is expected to return to the private sector in January.

Four additional members of the transition team were disclosed by Devereux on Friday:

* James G. Bulgrin, a former Atlantic Richfield Co. manager who most recently was vice president for marketing and administration of Clinical Information Systems, a software company in Oregon.

* Eric Miethke, a partner in the northern California law firm of Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor. The firm specializes in state and local taxation and fiscal policy.

* Gayla Peterson, director of telecommunication, taxes, audit, and planning for AirTouch Communications in San Francisco.

* Steve Spears, legal counsel to Fong at the Board of Equalization.

Hayes this past summer mounted a scathing attack on Brown, who was running for governor, over her role in the state's issue of revenue anticipation warrants. Brown called his attacks politically motivated. She lost to incumbent Gov. Pete Wilson and has not announced her plans.

Fong, a Republican, defeated former state Democratic Party chairman Phil Angelides in the race to succeed Brown.

Fong will be sworn in as state treasurer on Jan. 3. He is California's highest ranking Asian-American elected official, taking over that distinction from his mother, March Fong Eu, California's former secretary of state and now United States ambassador to Micronesia.

Devereux said the transition team is holding a series of workshops that began Friday and will continue this week with current employees in the treasurer's office.

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