Is this a political appointment, or is it one of those where party labels don’t matter much?
I’d say the label mattered regardless, given the job description. How many Democrats you know of aren’t adherents to the Global Warming/Green obsessed pseudoreligious farce ? I’d jam pack such a board with skeptics who actually base their decisions and judgments on facts and not political correctness/coercion.
The head of CARB is one of the most powerful positions in the state, and yes—party matters (IMO). In California, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a Democrat environmentalist who isn’t a moonbat.
CARB is the entity that controls all industry, power plants, etc. (human breathing!) through their over-reaching regulations and rules. Their powers were increased with the passage of AB32 having to do with global warming (and related topics).