Don Norte is credited with being one of the first openly gay Republican appointees to a governing body, when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. The Governor's Committee is charged with developing a comprehensive strategy to assist disabled youth and adults to enter the workforce by focusing on the needs and interests of the worker, the employer, and the community. Don's appointed position did not require Senate confirmation and the position did not receive a salary. Norte's term expired in 2010 after the advisory role of the Governor's Committee was switched by Governor Jerry Brown from the California Employment Development Department to the California State Department of Rehabilitation.