Haig Baghdassarian

Haig Baghdassarian was appointed as Deputy Secretary and Chief Counsel of the California Department of Food and Agriculture by Governor Gavin Newsom and has served since January 2021. He has been a practicing attorney for over 20 years, with significant public service experience as a San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner, as Deputy City Attorney in San Francisco, and as Legislative Coordinator for the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. Early in his career, he also represented government entities while working for the Renne Public Law Group and Meyers Nave. Subsequently, he had a solo law practice, primarily representing small businesses regarding regulatory and employment matters. Baghdassarian earned a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He and his wife, also a public servant, have resided in San Francisco for over 25 years, and they are the proud parents of a daughter who is attending Pitzer College.