Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a retired Marine Corps officer to oversee California's scandal-plagued Department of Parks and Recreation.
Brown announced Tuesday that Maj. General Anthony L. Jackson would take the job left vacant when the former director resigned last summer amid a scandal over hidden cash.
A senior parks official also was terminated when it was revealed that employees kept $54 million hidden from the Legislature for more than a decade, even as budget cuts threatened to close dozens of parks.
Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said in a statement that Jackson, who is 63, "brings more than 30 years of problem-solving and management experience." He said Jackson will restore Californians' trust that their parks are in good hands.
Jackson served as a Marine for 36 years and lived in San Diego County, according to his military biography.
