SACRAMENTO – During its January General Meeting, the New Motor Vehicle Board elected Kathryn Ellen Doi, a Public Member, to serve as President, and Bismarck Obando, a Public Member, to serve as Vice President.

The pair will preside over the Board as it resolves disputes between franchised dealers and manufacturers/distributors of new motor vehicles (including motorcycles, and recreational vehicles). Ms. Doi and Mr. Obando will also serve as the Board’s Executive Committee.

The Board operates within the Department of Motor Vehicles with oversight provided by the California State Transportation Agency, and also offers a Consumer Mediation Services Program which attempts to resolve disputes between consumers and new motor vehicle dealers and/or manufacturers or distributors.

About the Officers
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. first appointed Kathryn Ellen Doi to the New Motor Vehicle Board in September 2013, and reappointed her in March 2017. Ms. Doi is also the designated attorney appointment, and serves on the Board’s Fiscal Committee. Previously, Ms. Doi served as the Board’s Vice President and was a member of the Board’s Policy and Procedure Committee.

Ms. Doi is a partner in the Sacramento office of the business law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP, where she represents healthcare providers in reimbursement and other regulatory matters involving the California Department of Health Care Services or private commercial payors, including administrative appeals, arbitrations, and litigation in the state and federal courts. Ms. Doi is an AV® Peer Review Rated lawyer, the highest rating given by Martindale–Hubbell for legal ability and ethical standards. She was named a Northern California Super Lawyer in 2004 and 2011–2018.

Ms. Doi previously served the State of California as a Senior Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis. She also served as Counsel to the Secretary of the Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency under the Davis Administration, ensuring agency compliance with state and federal laws and overseeing agency rulemaking. Prior to joining the Davis Administration, Ms. Doi served as Staff Counsel to the Commission on Judicial Performance where she investigated and evaluated alleged ethics violations by California state court judges. Prior to her government service, Ms. Doi worked in private practice and clerked for a federal judge.

Ms. Doi received a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and her J.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Bismarck Obando was appointed to the New Motor Vehicle Board by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in January 2011 and was reappointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in April 2014 and again in July 2018. Mr. Obando also serves on the Board’s Administration Committee.

Mr. Obando is currently the Director of Public Affairs for the League of California Cities where he oversees the League’s political and membership outreach programs. Prior to working for the League, Mr. Obando served as a Senior Staff member and Director of External Affairs for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from 2007-2011. He also served as Deputy Appointments Secretary in the Office of Governor Schwarzenegger in 2007. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Obando was a Deputy Coalitions Director for Californians for Schwarzenegger 2006, where he was responsible for managing the Latino, environmental, agriculture and infrastructure coalitions. From 2004 to 2006, he served as a legislative analyst for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. In that position, Mr. Obando analyzed and made recommendations on legislation that impacted cities and counties in the primary issue areas of housing and transportation.