No. 66: Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

66. Fabian Núñez

We never quite know what to do with former Assembly speakers, but as far as this list goes, it’s an easy call: Fabián Núñez, an author of California’s landmark anti-pollution  law, AB 32,  runs the local office of Mercury Public Affairs, and that means he’s a potent force in California politics. He knows the Capitol, clearly, and he knows the legislative process and he knows how to get his clients’ views heard at the highest levels of California government. A lot of what Mercury does is below the radar, at least in Sacramento, although one of Mercury’s major clients is the California Endowment,  the multibillion-dollar nonprofit that has enormous influence across the state. Mercury has a global reach, but its role in Sacramento is significant, given the political and economic importance of the state.

Updated Aug. 21, 2019