The governor's office has taken the "Acting" off the title for Len Welsh at California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Welsh, a longtime DOSH official who was named acting chief in 2003 after the departure of Dr. John Howard, was officially appointed chief Oct. 12 by the Schwarzenegger administration. The $125,004-per-year position still requires Senate confirmation.

Welsh has spent much of his career at DOSH. He started at the Division in 1980 as a graduate-student assistant, performing policy analysis, but from 1981 to 1986 worked at the Kazan and McClain law firm in Oakland. He rejoined DOSH in 1986 as a legal counsel. When then-Gov. George Deukmejian defunded Cal/OSHA in 1987 (known as "disengagement), Welsh went into private practice, but actively worked for restoration of the program.

After voters restored funding for Cal/OSHA, he rejoined DOSH as staff counsel and was promoted to special counsel in 1994 and Deputy Chief for Health and Engineering Services in 1999. He later served as Special Counsel for Regulatory Development until his appointment as Acting Chief in 2003.

He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and Spanish from Rutgers University, a master of science in environmental health sciences from UC-Berkeley's School of Public Health and a juris doctor degree from UC's Hastings College of the Law. He resides in Kensington.