Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Kip Lipper

Top 1oo Hall of Fame

Kip Lipper is another of our HOF inductees who at this point cannot be separated from his issue of expertise, his of course being the environment. He can’t really be separated from this list either – he’s been on every single one of them. That is because for years he has served as the de facto gatekeeper for all legislation involving clean water, clean air, climate change, energy, etc. and it doesn’t appear as though that’s going to change any time soon. A staffer for nearly a half century, Lipper is not just a veritable institution around the Capitol, he’s become a verb: bills blessed by him are said to be “Lipperized” or else they’re simply not going forward. That’s the kind of influence and trust the unelected Lipper enjoys in Sacramento. Lipper’s name may never appear in any history book, he may never be recognized outside of our little, insular community, but among those who understand the nuts and bolts of politics and policymaking in California, his impact on this state is not only undeniable but also outsized for a single individual. Lipper is the ultimate incarnation of a Capitol staffer, a sort of Platonic ideal of that critical, behind-the-scenes role. Whenever he hangs it up, Lipper will leave a gaping hole in the state’s capacity to evaluate and further environmental policy, a statement which seems like it should be hyperbole, but we all know is true.

Updated August 26, 2025