Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Francisco Silva

87. Francisco Silva

Francisco Silva is President and CEO of the California Primary Care Association, which represents over 1,300 nonprofit community health centers that serve close to 8 million Californians across the state. Most of them are located in low-income communities and service residents who rely on Medi-Cal to help pay for their care. But with major federal spending cuts on the way, keeping them all afloat is going to be an enormous challenge. Silva is hardly a neophyte at all this, having previously spent almost two decades as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the California Medical Association, time that has given him a unique perspective in high-stakes medical fights. Born in Mexico, Silva started out working in the fields alongside his parents before obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University, a law degree from the UCLA School of Law and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.

Updated Aug. 26, 2025