D.A. Named Chairman of Criminal Justice Council : Appointments: Michael D. Bradbury is one of seven new members selected by the governor for the state board.

Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury has been named chairman of the California Council on Criminal Justice.

Bradbury, 49, was one of seven new members appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson to serve on the 37-member panel. The council examines criminal-justice issues and oversees the distribution of $136 million in state and federal funds to local law-enforcement agencies.

He replaces Robert H. Philobosian, a former Los Angeles County district attorney. James Lee, an official in Wilson’s appointments office, said Bradbury was chosen because he is a longtime prosecutor who is widely respected by fellow district attorneys.

Lee said the governor and Bradbury have worked together on anti-crime legislation and both pushed for passage of Proposition 115, the so-called Crime Victims’ Justice Reform Act. Bradbury also is a former president of the California District Attorneys Assn. and served on a presidential commission on drunk driving.

Bradbury, who has been Ventura County district attorney since 1978, said he did not ask for the appointment but called it “a pleasant surprise.” He said he will meet with Wilson next week to discuss the governor’s priorities for the council.

“Of course, crime victims and gangs are two issues that are high on his list,” Bradbury said. “He also is very concerned about maintaining a high level of law enforcement and public safety during this era of cutbacks.

“It won’t be my agenda. It will be the Legislature’s and the governor’s.”

Nineteen of the council’s members are appointed by the governor, eight by the Senate Rules Committee and eight by the Speaker of the Assembly. The attorney general and the administrative officer of the courts also sit on the panel.

The council meets once a month at locations throughout the state. In recent years, the council has published reports on youth gang violence, victims’ rights, and gangs and drugs. The panel also analyzes legislation and makes recommendations on criminal justice issues.

It is the oversight body for the state’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning, which provides grants to local agencies. The grants often permit activities that local law enforcement could otherwise not afford, spokesman Mike Carrington said.