May 2 - Debbie Raphael Appointed DTSC Director

Deborah Raphael from San Rafael has been appointed Director of the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). DTSC's mission is to protect public health and the environment from exposures to hazardous wastes. DTSC regulates hazardous waste, cleans-up existing contamination, and looks for ways to reduce the hazardous waste produced in California.

Raphael has a strong environmental background and will provide much needed leadership for DTSC's Green Chemistry Initiative. She has been the Program Manager for the City & County of San Francisco's Toxics Reduction and Green Building Programs, working on toxics reduction, green business, and green building since 1999. Previously, she was a senior environmental program manager at the City of Santa Monica from 1993 to 1999. Raphael is a co-chair of the Green Ribbon Science Panel.