The phrase "department in turmoil" may be overused, but in this case, it's accurate.  The California State Parks Department has spent the last several months engulfed in scandals over questionable vacation payouts and the disclosure of tens of millions of dollars of hidden funds - all while 70 parks were scheduled to close.  Now, the governor has appointed Retired Marine Major General Anthony Jackson to lead the department.

Goldstein: "Well, the first thing is, good luck! (laughter)

Elizabeth Goldstein with the California State Parks Foundation says she's never met Jackson, but thinks his leadership experience will serve him well.

Goldstein: "From my perspective, obviously, having someone who has very strong administrative experience and large organization experience is very important here."

Jackson's resume includes Marine leadership posts in Iraq, Germany and Japan.  He'll be sworn in on Friday.