Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Viviana Becerra

26. Viviana Becerra

As Chief of Staff to Attorney General Rob Bonta, Viviana Becerra can probably relate to how famed jockey Ron Turcotte felt riding the mighty Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown of horse racing. Wait, did we just compare Rob Bonta to a horse? Yes, but that’s beside the point. What matters is that Becerra may well be the gold standard for any Chief of Staff anywhere. The sheer totality of her daily responsibilities is staggering: she oversees several offices within the DOJ, including Communications, Native American Affairs, External Affairs, Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement, and Legislative Affairs. More important, she is Bonta’s right hand, having been with him since his days in the Legislature. And that is no easy task. The Secretariat comparison is fair with Bonta, who like Big Red never seems to run out of energy, particularly when it comes to suing the Trump administration. Becerra may not be the only one who can keep up with him, but most days she is the most important. A Sacramento native born to Mexican immigrants, Becerra holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara.

Updated Aug. 26, 2025