Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Sean Clegg

81.  Sean Clegg

Veteran political strategist Sean Clegg played a key role in the decisive defeat of the attempt last year to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, one high-profile example of his campaign success. This year, he was adviser to billionaire developer Rick Caruso, a political neophyte who spread his money around and who will face Karen Bass in November in L.A.’s mayoral race runoff. Clegg is a founding partner of BearStar Strategies (formerly SCRB), and has worked alongside such well-known strategists as Ace Smith, Dan Newman and Juan Rodriguez (No. 75). He wears a lot of strategic hats – he’s handled TV, online, direct mail, and even outdoor advertising for such clients as Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom, then-Attorney General Becerra, Sen. Alex Padilla, and others, plus an array of ballot initiatives. People who have worked with him on campaigns describe him as extraordinarily energetic and well-organized. He’s a UC Berkeley graduate and a former deputy mayor of L.A.

Updated Aug. 9, 2022