Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Christine Aurre

23. Christine Aurre

When Christy Bouma stepped down in March as Newsom’s legislative affairs secretary, her replacement might have been unfamiliar to folks outside the Capitol. But inside Newsomworld, Christine Aurre was 100 percent a known quantity. Previously a staffer for lawmakers Patrick O’Donnell and then-Senate Majority Leader Robert Hertzberg, Aurre was already serving as Bouma’s deputy, and 
by all accounts already impressed everyone around her with her drive, intelligence and policy expertise. All of which is critical for someone who is essentially the governor’s advocate with legislative leaders. That’s a high-pressure job, and we would not normally have someone this new to the position on this list, but the praise from her colleagues was… convincing. More important, Newsom has taken to her, and 
more than one observer predicted she will someday be a gubernatorial chief of staff. So maybe we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, but then again maybe not.