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Danville resident Judy Lloyd has been appointed to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, a nonpartisan watchdog agency that oversees campaign financing, lobbying activities and conflicts of interest for public officials.
Lloyd was named to the five-member board by State Controller Malia M. Cohen’s office and is set to be sworn in on Dec. 3. She’s replacing former state Assemblymember Charlene Zettel and will serve the remainder of Zettel’s term, through January 2029.
Lloyd said she received a call from State Controller Malia Cohen earlier in the month notifying her that she was one of the two top candidates for the appointment. The commission consists of two members appointed by the governor, one by the attorney general, one by the secretary of state and one by the state controller.
“Her extensive experience in public service and her commitment to serving California communities will bring an important perspective to the commission and our work to promote transparency, accountability and public trust,” commission Chair Adam E. Silver said in a statement.
Lloyd is currently CEO of Altamont Communication Strategies, which she founded 17 years ago. She served as president and CEO of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce from 2021 to 2025.
Her public service career includes tenures as special assistant to then-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, senior district representative for former state Sen. Steve Glazer and regional appointee to the U.S. Department of Labor by former president George W. Bush.
In addition to advising campaigns in her role at Altamont Communication Strategies, Lloyd made her own bid for state Assembly in 2008. She finished third in the Republican primary that year, with the local party selecting former San Ramon mayor H. Abram Wilson as its pick for the General Election.
Lloyd told DanvilleSanRamon that her decades of experience in government and on the campaign trail had primed her to join the Fair Political Practices Commission.
“I have always been fascinated by politics and the political process, and having worked in campaigns and running my own campaign in 2008, and working in government, I’ve seen the way politics can get in the way of good government sometimes,” she said.
At the same time, she said, “I feel like I’ve been lucky to learn from good people.”
The Fair Political Practices Commission is responsible for enforcing the Political Reform Act and is often at the forefront of investigating high-profile campaign finance violations locally and statewide. However, Lloyd said she believes a majority of campaign finance violations aren’t driven by intentional wrongdoing.
“I feel like people in general, whether they be elected officials or whether they be appointed, they always try to follow the law, and there’s some things that they miss,” Lloyd said.
“Sometimes people have a poor opinion of their public officials, and they don’t realize that 99% are really there to do the right thing. But you always hear about the 1%.”
She said she’s looking forward to bringing her experience to the commission.
“I believe completely in transparency and accountability in government, and actually, when I was asked if I would consider this, I thought, this is the exact type of work I want to do,” Lloyd said.
