Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Mark Ghaly, a pediatrician and the director of Health and Social Impact for Los Angeles County as Secretary, California Health and Human Services Agency. Ghaly brings a deep knowledge and understanding of how individual and community health outcomes intersect with policy and law on issues like whole-person care, mental health and stage of life care. Ghaly served as the medical director for the Southeast Health Center, a San Francisco Department of Public Health clinic from 2006 to 2011 and earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Public Health degree in health policy from the Harvard School of Public Health. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $209,943. Ghaly is a Democrat.
Governor Newsome has also reappointed Michelle Baass as the CHHS Undersecretary. Baass was first appointed to the position by the former Governor Brown and confirmed by the California State Senate in 2018. She previously held positions as a senior fiscal and policy analyst at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office from 2004 to 2008 and as a manager and consultant for Accenture from 1996 to 2004. Baass earned a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento. The compensation for this position is $183,084. Baass is a Democrat.