Senate committee advances Board of Parole Hearings executive officer nominee after questioning on fairness, interpreters and drug-test review

The California State Senate committee voted unanimously June 18 to advance the governor’s nominee for executive officer of the Board of Parole Hearings to the full Senate.

The nominee, Mr. Wyckoff, told the committee he has spent three decades in public service and pledged to emphasize “fair, transparent, and respectful” parole hearings. He said he will continue observing hearings, expand transcript review and work with stakeholders to provide feedback to commissioners.

The committee’s questions focused on how the executive office supervises commissioners, how complaints and training are handled, and a recent problem involving drug-test results for people in the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program. Wyckoff told senators he has personally observed hearings by “over half our commissioners” and described a transcript analysis program in which attorneys review hearings and report on commissioners’ performance.

Wyckoff described the board’s approach to balancing public safety and rehabilitation: “I have always tried to be fair, transparent, and respectful,” he said, and said he supports giving people who have been rehabilitated an opportunity for release while also using a structured decision-making framework to promote consistency.

Committee members pressed Wyckoff about procedures for addressing commissioner misconduct. When asked how complaints would be handled, he said the office would review transcripts, investigate specific allegations, and meet privately with commissioners to explain expectations and address problems.

Wyckoff also addressed a spike in positive drug-test results tied to changes at an outside laboratory. He said the board launched a systematic review beginning March 29, 2024, of decisions involving people in the medication-assisted program where a positive test “may have been a substantial factor” in denial of parole or a petition, and that the agency is scheduling new hearings or reconsiderations where warranted. He said the apparent spike was temporary and that positive rates have “gone back to what the historic levels have been.”

On language access, Wyckoff said the board contracts with interpreter agencies and provides interpreters both for incarcerated people and for victims and families when needed. He acknowledged a shortage of panel attorneys who speak Spanish and said the office is seeking ways to increase the number of attorneys who can represent non-English speakers rather than rely solely on interpreters.

Public commenters who supported the nomination described Wyckoff as experienced and empathetic. Margaret Gladstein said she had known him for many years and called him “a man of the highest level of integrity and ethics and empathy.”

The committee recorded a roll-call vote of 5-0 (McGuire, Grove, Caballero, Jones, Laird) to advance the nomination to the Senate floor.

Wyckoff’s nomination now goes to the full Senate for confirmation consideration.