Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Steve Wertheim

No. 41. Steve Wertheim

This will be remembered as the year of the most significant CEQA reform in the law’s 55-year history, a tectonic shift that will long be credited to the work of Buffy Wicks, Scott Wiener and Gavin Newsom. But insiders also give copious credit to Steve Wertheim, Wicks’ top advisor on housing issues. Wertheim was the point person brokering high-level negotiations between a full suite of stakeholders, including the governor, legislative leaders, construction unions, labor unions, environmental groups, pro-business groups, tribal interests, YIMBYs, NIMBYs and now my fingers hurt even typing all those words. The point is there is no part of what developed out of an initial collection of multiple bills that his fingerprints are not all over. The finished product is a testament to his skills as a negotiator and his ability to make things happen. It also helps his clout factor that his boss is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. Previous to his time in the Capitol he spent a dozen years as a planner for the city of San Francisco, which should explain a lot.