California Labor Secretary Abruptly Leaves Post

The California State Capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., on April 18, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

California’s Labor Secretary Natalie Palugyai abruptly left her post earlier this month under uncertain circumstances.

Newsom appointed Palugyai, who was earning more than $227,000 a year, in July 2021 as the first Latina to hold the position. Her departure was unexpected, and the governor’s office has yet to publicly explain why she left.

Undersecretary Stewart Knox is now serving as acting Labor Secretary, the governor’s communications director Erin Mellon told The Epoch Times Dec. 19.

“We thank Natalie Palugyai for her work in the administration and wish her well in her next chapter,” Mellon said in an email.

The state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency oversees seven departments, boards, and panels handling labor and industrial issues, unemployment, compensation, family leave, and disability claims and payments. Its secretary is a member of the governor’s cabinet.

The governor’s office did not comment on the reasons for Palugyai’s departure or provide any other details. The former secretary’s page on the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency’s website was removed by the agency.

She was previously an advisor for Johns Hopkins University. She also served as a senior advisor at the U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor in the Obama administration and worked for the World Bank and the Federal Emergency Management Administration in Washington, D.C., according to her LinkedIn page.

Palugyai did not return a request for comment by press time.