California Gets New Labor Commissioner
The position of state labor commissioner, which had been vacant for about one year, was filled by an executive from a nationwide janitorial company.
Donna Dell, former senior vice president of human resources for ABM Industries, started her new job at the San Francisco offices of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, part of the Department of Industrial Relations, on Dec. 13.
The commissioner enforces California’s wage and hour laws in all state industries. Dell will be working on rooting out illegally operating companies. “The directive by the governor is to spend more time in the underground economy and level the playing field for employers who are following the rules,” said Susan Gard, a spokeswoman for the labor commissioner.
The position was left vacant for 11 months after the previous labor commissioner, Art Lujan, left his job and returned to San Diego, where he is now a part-time labor compliance advisor for the San Diego Unified School District.
Dell, a resident of Walnut Creek, Calif., is a Democrat. Her annual salary is $111,768. —Deborah Belgum
