The Secretary of State of California is Alex Padilla as of 2000.
In early 2020, Padilla announced a $35 million no-bid contract for a statewide voter education ad campaign with partisan public relations firm SKDK (then known as "SKDKnickerbocker") called "Vote Safe California", but State Controller Betty Yee blocked the funding because Padilla's office did not have the authority to use federal money that was allocated to county governments; the campaign proceeded anyway
== United States Senator from California (2021 - Incumbent) ===== Appointment ===In August 2020, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate

