Illustration by Chris Shary97. Jennifer Fearing
Almost everything about this list is BIG – big money, big clients, big egos. Oh my, the egos. But what about the little guys? What about interests not named Google or Meta or whatever deep pockets mega-corporation you like? Who stands up and fights for the nonprofits or for animals or for
Illustration by Chris Shary94. Lisa Gasperoni As chief political consultant to former Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, Gasperoni earned her pay: she is credited as the campaign savant responsible for the Dems’ surprise capture of a two-thirds majority in the Senate in the 2012 elections. Gasperoni left the Senate in 2013 to focus on LG Campaigns, the political consulting
Illustration by Chris Shary92. Sean Parker Marijuana legalization legislation has been simmering for years in California, but this year, it’s coming to a boil. In part, that’s because of changing cultural views about marijuana. But it’s also because of Sean Parker, the cofounder of Napster and the former president of Facebook. Parker sponsored the unsuccessful 2010 ballot measure
Illustration by Chris Shary93. Dean Cortopassi Though we catch a lot of flak for salting this list with old white guys, it would be hard to leave off Dean Cortopassi, the 78-year old Delta farmer who just might blow up the Delta tunnels and derail the bullet train. The Stockton-born Cortopassi insists that it is his concerns about public debt,
Illustration by Chris Shary88. Jeff Randle
Jeff Randle, deputy chief of staff to former Gov. Pete Wilson, has built an enviable record in business, political strategy, marketing and communications during the past two decades. He is CEO and president of his 21-member firm, Randle Communications, and his eclectic client base includes such heavy hitters as the California Hospital Association,
89. Steve Juarez UC is a mighty institution that gets things done, and one of the reasons is Steve Juarez, who lobbies on behalf of UC’s Office of the President. People in both houses who know higher education lobbying – and some outsiders, too – say Juarez is one of the reasons. He’s smart, prompt
87. Wendy Mitchell Communications consultant Wendy Mitchell, a member of the California Coastal Commission, has strong ties to the Capitol and the politics and intricacies of state budgeting. She was a senior budget consultant in the Assembly, then served as chief of staff to former Sen. Denise Ducheny, the San Diego lawmaker who for years
76. Jeff Grubbe
Chairman Jeff Grubbe is in his fifth consecutive two-year term as the head of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Grubbe, an increasingly prominent leader in Indian Country, worked his way up to Chair after starting out as a casino table games shift manager, and, like Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro
Vintage Illustration of Mr. ZIP, modified by Tim Foster/Capitol WeeklyIncreasingly, California voters use the mailbox, not the ballot box. But in three of California’s 58 counties — Plumas, Alpine and Sierra — there was no other choice but mail-in voting. And they like it that way.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky. (Photo: Jason Doiy/The Recorder via AP)To further explore the issue of Judge Persky’s possible recall, we conducted a poll of 776 registered voters within the county who would be passing judgement on a recall if it were to qualify for a future ballot. And, rather than a few loud voices of protest, our poll finds that two-thirds (67%) of Santa Clara County voters support a recall. Women, and especially younger women, are at the center of the storm with a more than 4-to-1 support.