Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Krista Pfefferkorn

98. Krista Pfefferkorn

Few people know the building better than Krista Pfefferkorn. And it’s safe to say the 20 years she already had in the building were a necessity before taking on her latest task seven years ago: chief of staff to Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco. Anyone who thinks it’s easy to manage a high profile and controversial member like Wiener has clearly never done the job. Wiener has been out front for years on housing bills that challenge California’s notorious NIMBYism, and on LGBTQ discrimination, which has made him a lightning rod for death threats from nutcases up and down the state. That deeply impacts her staff, adding a layer of management most chiefs do not have to think about – extra security, more hand holding in the office, etc. Oh, and the legislation itself. None of this will change anytime soon, unless of course the 6’7 Senator runs to replace SF political icon Nancy Pelosi… but that’s another story. If that happens, he’ll owe a big debt to his very calm but influential chief of staff.