Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Ashley Zavala

90. Ashley Zavala

Ashley Zavala debuted on this list last year when we dubbed her the “Oh, sh*t” reporter in the Capitol Press Corps. She earned that moniker based on the reaction she gets when lawmakers see her coming their way. And perhaps rightly so, because Zavala is not there to play nice. She regularly asks the toughest of questions and will doggedly pursue an answer no matter how far she has to go. Doubt that? Ask Assemblymember Gail Pellerin. (If you know, you know). Her critics in the building are many, but she is widely respected among her fellow journalists, who collectively had her back during a now infamous dispute with Assmblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer. This year, her reporting on the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in political negotiations helped lead to legislation seeking to ban the practice. Zavala is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s Columbia School of Journalism, and is the president of the Capitol Correspondents Association of California.

Updated Aug. 7, 2024