No. 93: Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

93. Joe Caves
It seems like every year, there is major water legislation, either because of bills in the Capitol or initiatives on the ballot, or both. On top of that, we’ve got the drought, some infrastructure money to spend, traditional tensions between north and south, and the never-ending story of the Delta twin tunnels. You put all this together and you’ve got a lot of action on water projects. Figuring out which projects to do and how much to spend is Joe Caves’ specialty. More than a decade ago, he co-founded the Sacramento-based consulting and lobbying firm Conservation Strategy Group. The firm specializes in environmental and natural resources strategy and advocacy, consistently hot topics in a state that tends to lead the nation in enviro-regulations. Caves has a history of working around and in the Capitol. Prior to his current gig, Caves lobbied for his namesake firm, Joseph Caves and Associates. He also served in the Legislature as a committee consultant and legislative director for more than a decade.

Updated Aug. 25, 2015