No. 88: Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

88. John Garcia

Founded in California in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is a massive player in California health care, serving nearly 10 million members through 532 medical facilities, and a network of 16,000 physicians and 149,000 employees. As vice president for Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, Garcia lobbies for a far-flung medical organization made up of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, The Permanente Medical Group and Southern California Permanente Medical Group. COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the finances of the medical industry, and Kaiser was no exception; Their net income dropped from about $7.4 billion in 2019 to around $6.4 billion in 2020. A round of 200 layoffs in May 2021 speaks to the challenges the organization faces as the pandemic continues to play out, and it is John Garcia’s job to make sure that the folks in Sacramento don’t make it any harder. Full disclosure: Garcia serves on the Board of Directors of Open California, which publishes Capitol Weekly.

Updated Aug. 25, 2021