Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Donna Lucas

TOP 100 HALL OF FAME

Donna Lucas has been a member of the Top 100 every year since its inception. So of course she’s going to be an inaugural member of our Hall of Fame. Arguably the biggest public relations superstar in the Capitol orbit, Lucas has some of the deepest roots in our community. Her mother, also named Donna, worked in the office of Sen. Earl Desmond, where she met her future husband, Joe Lipper. Her brother is Kip Lipper, the legislature’s top environmental expert and one of the most distinguished aides in Capitol history. Her husband is Greg Lucas, a one-time top-flight Capitol reporter who now is California’s State Librarian. But Donna Lucas is a Hall of Famer not because of her family connections, but because of her skill, tenacity and ubiquity. Think of the last Capitol-related event you attended. Was Donna Lucas there? She probably was. Her Lucas Public Affairs, with its 28-member staff, including well-known figures like Cassandra Pye and Nancy 
Heffernan, has its fingers in seemingly every issue touching the Capitol. Lucas built her reputation and eventual empire brick by brick, starting as a press handler during Gov. George Deukmejian’s gubernational campaign. She later was deputy chief of staff for strategic planning and initiatives for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and chief of staff to First Lady Maria Shriver, to whom she still remains close. She is universally respected for her ability to see the bigger picture of any issue, and to build partnerships that get things done. There are few figures in Capitol history who combine Lucas’ longevity, connectivity, authority and talent. But perhaps the most remarkable thing about her is this: despite all her accomplishments, all her influence and clout, Lucas remains down to earth, a legitimately pleasant person to be around. Not a fake-PR pleasant person, but a genuinely good human being, who carries herself with grace and professionalism and sincerity.

Updated Aug. 6, 2024