Capitol Spotlight: Brian Green, California State Senate Democratic Caucus

A professional communicator with decades of experience, Brian Green helps the California State Senate Democratic shape the stories it wants to tell.

The principal consultant is behind the scenes preparing talking points and issue updates, recording and voicing videos, setting up press conferences and more. For the last six years, he has also hosted the podcast “Then There’s California” featuring in-depth interviews with Democratic senators.

“I love it,” he said. “We have them share personal stories and talk about their own passions and priorities. We’ve had some great conversations.”

Co-worker Blake Hooper, another consultant with the California State Senate Democratic Caucus, said Green is an excellent interviewer and brings a humanizing element to his work. “He is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with and the funniest,” Hooper said. “He’s somebody who shows up to work really understanding the mission of what we’re doing. We’re here trying to make people’s lives better.”

Born in Sacramento and raised in Redding, Green, 62, became interested in radio and broadcasting at a young age. “I used to interview the roses with a garden hose,” he said with a laugh.

He was inspired by his uncle who was the general manager of a TV station in Redding. “I would sit in the control room and watch the newscasts and pester the journalists and reporters,” he said.

He worked at his high school radio station and by the time he was 16, he got a job at an adult contemporary Redding radio station. He had to work holidays and overnight shifts, but he didn’t mind and was glad to have a chance to play records and be a DJ.

At California State University Northridge, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, he studied radio, TV, and film. The professors were either still working in the business or were recently retiring, giving him up-to-date knowledge in his field.

While in LA, he got a job as a call screener for KABC radio talk shows. That led to a position as a talent coordinator and producer and involved booking guests and tracking news stories. He loved getting to meet movie stars and famous authors. “For a small-town boy, this was amazing,” he said.

His next move was working as a talk show host for KTMS radio in Santa Barbara. He was surprised when out of the blue, he got a job offer to be the “radio guy” for then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown and the Assembly Democrats. He made the switch and ended up staying there 15 years.

Being a Caucasian parent of a young Latina taught him many lessons about culture, humility and respecting other cultural experiences.

While he had enjoyed working in journalism, he was ready for the switch to government work – especially as he was then married and had started a family. “Media can be chaotic and not job security focused,” he said.

In 2006, his life took a turn when he accepted a job with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide helping clients work with the media. He rose to vice president, adding new skills in budgeting and management.

In 2011, he returned to state government, gaining a job with the California State Senate Democratic Caucus where he has been ever since. He’s grateful to be able to work alongside other skilled media professionals. “We are able to do this work that we are good at in this world,” he said. “We make it professional, we make it clean, and we make it polished.”

In addition to his considerable career accomplishments, Green has a full personal life. He and his wife recently celebrated their 40^th wedding and the couple has two adult daughters and four grandchildren (three boys and a girl). “They are the light of my life,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see them come of age.”

Adopted himself, Green and his wife adopted their youngest daughter when she was 10 from Guatemala. Being a Caucasian parent of a young Latina taught him many lessons about culture, humility and respecting other cultural experiences. “It’s been a journey of love,” he said.

The experience led him to join the board of the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, where he coordinated the college scholarship program for a time. He appreciated being able to mentor these dedicated students. “You get to see these young people of color make a name for themselves and become successful,” he said.

One mentee he worked with his Anabel Urbina, now a legislative administrative assistant with California State University Office of the Chancellor in Sacramento. He met Urbina in 2014 when she was a college fellow in the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project and has continued cheering her on to this day as she prepares to get her master’s degree from CSU Stanislaus this year.

Urbina now coordinates the college scholarship program. Urbina said Green’s support was helpful to her as she navigated academic concerns and planned her career goals. “He’s a magical human being,” she said. “If you need something, you talk to Brian and he’s happy to help with what he can.”

In his limited free time, Green enjoys reading and gardening. For a time, he sang in the Sacramento Choral Society.

In 2012, he also managed to write and publish a book – “Rail Tales” – about his observations riding the light rail system in Sacramento to work every day. The heartwarming and funny short stories were taken from posts he wrote on Facebook.

Green has had such a long history with the legislature that he works with people who weren’t born when he started working there. Yet, it doesn’t feel that long ago when he was 16 working at his first job at the radio station. “Being the youngest guy on the staff seems like yesterday,” he said.

Looking back on his career, he is glad that he was able to accomplish what he dreamed about as a young man. “I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time,” he said.