Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Dave Sapp

No. 12 Dave Sapp

The Legal Secretary is always a key position with any governor, but never more than in recent years when the relationship between California and the Trump administration feels more like open warfare than standard federalism. When Gavin Newsom needs legal advice in countering the president – like when the feds launch an investigation into the First Partner’s financial dealings, for instance – Sapp is his first call. Beyond dueling with Trump, Sapp oversees any litigation involving Newsom or the state and serves up the necessary words when the governor needs to speak in lawyer to someone to get his point across. Sapp also proffers legal guidance to other executive branch agencies, oversees potential pardons, commutations and parole decisions. He has been with the governor’s office since 2019, and previous to that was an in-house lawyer for the California Department of Education and the ACLU of Southern California. He received a BA in public policy and linguistics from Duke and his JD from the Stanford University School of Law.

Updated August 11, 2026