California Governor Jerry Brown has named Sonoma County Water Agency General Manager Grant Davis as the new director of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). The appointment, which requires state Senate confirmation, means Davis takes over Aug. 1 as head of the state agency that oversees California’s water supplies. Davis, 54, has been general manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency since 2010 when he took over after retirement of Randy Poole. The Davis era at the Water Agency has won praise for transparency and progressive policies in water conservation and environmental restoration of the Russian River watershed.