California: Governor Newsom announces appointments 1.28.2026

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Jan 28, 2026

Governor Newsom announces appointments 1.28.2026

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Samantha Lui, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Program and Fiscal Affairs at the California Health and Human Services Agency. Lui has been Deputy Secretary of Legislation at the California Health and Human Services Agency since 2022. She was a Consultant to the Committee on Appropriations in the California State Senate from 2018 to 2022. Lui was an Assistant Secretary at the California Health and Human Services Agency from 2016 to 2018. She held several roles at the California State Senate from 2010 to 2016, including Consultant to the Committee on Budget & Fiscal Review, Consultant to the Committee on Governance and Finance, and Fellow. Lui is a Member of the Board of Directors at Golden 1 Credit Union. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Development Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $212,832. Lui is a Democrat.

Nicole Morales, of San Diego, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Readiness and Response Strategy at the California Health and Human Services Agency. Morales has been Deputy Director of Response at Hagerty Consulting since 2020, where she was Senior Managing Associate from 2017 to 2020. She held several roles at Booz Allen Hamilton from 2009 to 2017, including Response Planner for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Security Policy Analyst for the United States Department of State, and Strategy and Operations Consultant. Morales was a Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Analyst at the United States Department of State from 2008 to 2009. She was a Research and Advocacy Analyst at the Center for Civilians in Conflict from 2007 to 2008. Morales was a Federal Relations Office Legislative Analyst for the State of Louisiana from 2006 to 2007. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $212,832. Morales is a Democrat.

Mark Beckley, of Gold River, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director of Operations at the California Department of State Hospitals. Beckley has been Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Aging since 2019. He was Chief Deputy Director at the Department of Child Support Services from 2015 to 2019. Beckley was Administrative Services Deputy Director at the Department of State Hospitals from 2012 to 2015. He held several positions at the Department of Child Support Services from 2007 to 2015, including Administrative Services Deputy Director, Department of Child Support Services, Acting Administrative Services Deputy Director, and Chief Financial Officer. Beckley held several roles at the Department of Finance from 2001 to 2006, including Staff Budget Finance Analyst, Associate Finance Budget Analyst, and Assistant Finance Budget Analyst. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University, San Francisco. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $199,008. Beckley is a Democrat.

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James Watt, of Albany, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Center of Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health. Watt has been Acting Deputy Director of the Center of Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health since 2025, where he has held several roles since 2006, including Assistant Deputy Director of the Center of Infectious Diseases, Chief of Division of Communicable Disease Control, Chief of Tuberculosis Control Branch, and Public Health Medical Officer III. He was an Assistant Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 2001 to 2006. Watt was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1999 to 2001. He was Medical Officer at Heluna Health from 1996 to 1999. Watt was a Preventive Medicine Resident at the California Department of Public Health from 1995 to 1996. Watt was a Pediatric Resident at Oakland Children's Hospital from 1990 to 1993. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, San Diego, Master of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $302,436. Watt is a Democrat.

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