New Commissioner Amanda Ray next to retired Commissioner
The first Black commissioner in the 91-year history of the California Highway Patrol is retiring, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday, and he will be replaced with the first woman to hold the post — a veteran officer who also is Black.
Commissioner Warren Stanley will retire Nov. 17 after more than 38 years with the CHP, the last 2 1/2 years leading the 11,000 employees in the nation's fifth-largest law enforcement agency and largest state-run law enforcement agency.
His successor, Deputy Commissioner Amanda Ray, will be the first woman and second Black person to head the patrol.
Newsom said in a statement that Ray will help the state "advance reforms to our criminal justice system that will help foster a more just and inclusive future for all Californians.”
Ray, 54, of Sacramento, started with the CHP in 1990 as a cadet, moving steadily up through the ranks in the interim. The appointment requires Senate confirmation and pays $282,528.
Stanley joined the CHP in 1982 and since has held every uniformed rank within the department.
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He was appointed commissioner by former Gov. Jerry Brown in February 2018, and reappointed to the post by Newsom when he took office in January 2019.
