The Secretary of State of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. State of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of State is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers, and is restricted by term limits to only two terms. The current Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, took office on January 5, 2015.

Who is the secretary of the state of california? OK. Let's think. My stream of consciousness:
The relevant sentence in the passage is: The current Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, took office on January 5, 2015. The answer is Alex Padilla.