Kamala Harris was frequently absent for California Medical Assistance Commission meetings, even though she was appointed to the position by her boyfriend at the time and then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.
Harris and Brown dated for about a year when she was a 29 year old lawyer for the Alameda District Attorney’s office and he was the powerful speaker who ran for mayor of San Francisco at the age of 60.
Brown appointed Harris to the CMAC position in 1994, drawing some criticism for impropriety despite Brown’s willingness to publicly flaunt accusations of political patronage.
Harris had already served six months on the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, a job that paid $97,088 annually, but resigned to take the new position with CMAC.
It’s unclear why Harris missed so many meetings, as she took leave from her job as the Alameda County District Attorney’s office according to the Los Angeles Times.