Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Christy Bouma

4. Christy Bouma

The first time Christy Bouma made the Top 100 was way back in 2010 as the head of her own lobbying firm, Capitol Connection. She made the jump into the low numbers of this list last year as Newson’s legislative secretary, the chief liaison between the governor and the Legislature. In some ways it is a high-level sales job that requires getting lawmakers to buy into the governor’s agenda. That is often easier said than done, but Bouma has so far been successful, helping usher through several of Newsom’s big-ticket items, most notably his package of infrastructure reforms. Perhaps it is Bouma’s background as a school teacher that helps her manage such challenges. In her previous life as a lobbyist, she did the bulk of her work for the California Professional Firefighters, and she is a former president of the Institute of Governmental Advocates. Bouma also served two administrations on the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. She has a Master’s Degree in computer science from Sacramento State.

Updated Aug. 15, 2023