Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Ramona Prieto

40. Ramona Prieto

Ramona “Monie” Prieto leads Uber’s political efforts in California, and while she’s lesser known than others on this list, her influence is not to be underestimated. As the rideshare giant’s Head of Public Policy & Communications, Western Region, Prieto controls the company’s independent expenditures through the Uber Innovation Fund, which got an infusion of $30 million last year. In other words, Prieto has a lot of what Jess Unruh famously called “the mother’s milk of politics” and she is very adept at using it. If you doubt this, check on how many ducats Prieto spent to support pro-business Dems in last year’s races. Big Tech has been on the rise in general around the Capitol in recent years, and might actually be pulling close to the influence of Big Labor with the Dem supermajority. That is only likely to grow, especially if legislative efforts to allow rideshare drivers to unionize keeps marching through the Capitol. Who knows if Newsom would sign it – after all, Newsom loves him some Big Tech – but if he does, can a well-funded ballot measure to overturn the law be far behind?

Updated August 26, 2025