No. 88: Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

88. David Lesher

The nonprofit news and commentary website CalMatters is an expanding and influential observer of California politics and public policy headed by Editor David Lesher, a veteran newsman. The staff has grown to more than two dozen, and is expanding as funding becomes more secure. It already is the largest Capitol bureau, replete with veteran reporters and editors from news organizations that include The Sacramento Bee and The Los Angeles Times. Dan Morain, formerly of the Times and onetime editorial page editor of the Bee, is the senior editor. Lesher himself covered Sacramento for the Times and is a former editor of the late and lamented California Journal. He co-founded CalMatters in 2015 and led the organization as editor and CEO until December 2018, when he continued to serve as editor. Previously, Lesher was director of government affairs at the Public Policy Institute of California.

Updated Aug. 21, 2019