Schwarzenegger appoints former lawmaker to head agency on aging

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday appointed a former assemblywoman who was defeated in the November election to head the California Department of Aging.

Lynn Daucher, 60, a Republican from Brea, chaired the Assembly's Committee on Aging and Long Term Care during her six years in the Assembly. Her run for the state Senate failed in November when she was defeated by former Assemblyman Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, in the Senate's tightest race.

The Senate must confirm her nomination to the job, which pays $117,997 a year.

Daucher is a member of the baby boom generation, which will make up a quarter of the state's population by 2010, Schwarzenegger said in his announcement.

"Lynn has been a strong advocate for California's seniors, and I look forward to her ideas on how the state can better serve that population," the governor said in a statement.

The Department of Aging is part of the California Health and Human Services Agency. It administers senior centers and services that include home-delivered meals, protection of the elderly, adult day care and Alzheimer's day care.

Daucher replaces the department's chief deputy director Lora Connolly, who has been acting director since Oct. 2004. Connolly returns to the No. 2 position at the department.

"The administration was always looking for a permanent person to fill this position, and we weren't able to find a person to fill the skill set we were looking for until now," Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Sabrina Lockhart said, adding that Connolly had done "a terrific job."

Daucher, a former elementary school teacher, previously served on the Brea City Council and school board, among other local government posts.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/

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