A look at the 2023 Top 100

CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Each year, Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 names the most powerful movers and shakers in California politics. We don’t include elected officials. Instead, we look at those who devote their professional lives to fighting for – or against – issues of state politics and policy, including lobbyists, bureaucrats, activists, trade group leaders, Capitol staffers and even journalists.

Last week we published the 15th Edition of the Top 100, which was notable for two firsts: this is editor Rich Ehisen’s first time at the helm of the Top 100; And, this is the first time women have made up a majority of the names on the list.

For this episode, Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster reversed their usual Podcast roles, with Tim interviewing Rich about this year’s list, about the strategy for putting it together, the new names this year, and who is not on this time around.  Plus, as always, they tell you who had the Worst Week in CA Politics.

Episode Notes: 

:40 What IS the Top 100?

1:29 A different approach

3:23 The history

4:57 “The coffee cart in the basement”

5:48 The process

7:19 Nick Hardeman

9:23 The lobbying

11:54 “A foolish errand”

13:18 An objective approach to a subjective project

14:41 Some of the new names

15:22 Lindsey Copia

16:53 Rick Rivas

18:32 Viviana Becerra

20:22 Lia Lopez

21:41 Debra Gravert

22:26 Mark McKenzie/Mary Kennedy

23:31 The Top 100 Party

24:30 Sue Parker

25:45 A majority of women

26:49 The Barbie moment

28:36 Susannah Delano

30:12 Doug Herman

31:04 Bearstar Strategies

31:49 “The Aaron Read and Associates Dilemma”

32:47 Liz Snow

34:47 Yana Garcia

35:51 The Building Trades

39:09 The response to the list

41:41 The journalists

43:47 Ashley Zavala

45:32 George Skelton

45:39 Laurel Rosenhall

47:56 The illustrations: Chris Shary

51:15 #WWCA