Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Margie Estrada

82. Margie Estrada

Margie Estrada is the legislature’s expert on the law. In fact, the chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee has reached such rarefied air that she has been referred to as “the Kip Lipper of legal issues in the Capitol.” You don’t get any more influential than that – at least not in Sacramento. Some of that is due in part to the committee’s broad jurisdiction, which gives her a lot of influence over a very wide range of issues. She is highly respected both for her legal expertise and her understanding of the legislative process. She is well organized and keeps a firm rein on what does and does not come through her committee. In short, if you want your bill to get through the Judiciary, you need to have your act together as much as she does. Estrada, who previously served as a principal consultant to former Senate Pro Tems Darrell Steinberg and Kevin de León, has a bachelor’s in rhetoric from UC Berkeley and a law degree from UCLA. We imagine both come in quite handy when dealing with lawmakers and lobbyists.

Updated Aug. 7, 2024