SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:. Peter Whippy, of Alamo, has been appointed Chief of External Affairs at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Whippy was Communications Director for the United States Committee on House Administration from 2019 to 2023, where he was previously Democratic Communications Director from 2017 to 2019. He was Communications Director in the Office of United States Representative Zoe Lofgren from 2014 to 2018. Whippy was Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant in the Office of United States Representative George Miller from 2010 to 2014. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $170,004. Whippy is a Democrat.