SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 13 announced the reappointment of Eric Hirata, 48, of Elk Grove as chief deputy director at the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, where he has served in that position since 2017.
The mission of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is to provide the highest level of service and public safety to the people of the state through licensing, education, and enforcement.
Hirata began his career as an agent in the Inglewood District Office from 1996 to 1999. He was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Unit in both Southern and Northern California (1999 to 2001 and 2001 to 2002, respectively). He was later promoted to supervising agent and supervising agent in charge in the San Francisco District Office (2002-2005), and was called to serve in two different administrative assignments in Headquarters (2005-2006).
He served as the department’s legislative director (2006-2008), collaborating with stakeholders on policy and legislative matters, and acted as the department liaison to the California State Legislature. He also served as the program manager (2008-2009) for the department’s Grant Unit, where he was responsible for allocating grants to local law enforcement agencies under the Grant Assistance Program, and worked in partnership with the Office of Traffic Safety and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on federal grants.
In 2009, he was promoted to deputy division chief in the Northern Division Office, where he assumed responsibility for the department’s Bay Area offices in Concord, Eureka, Oakland, Salinas, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Rosa.
Hirata holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from CSU Sacramento and a Master’s in Public Administration from CSU Stanislaus. He was investigator assistant at the Department of Consumer Affairs from 1994 to 1996.
He is a member of the California Peace Officers’ Association, National Liquor Law Enforcement Association, Sacramento Asian Peace Officers Association and Asian Pacific State Employees Association and foundation.
This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $168,768. Hirata is registered without party preference.