Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly82. Yvonne Wheeler
Yvonne Wheeler is the first Black woman elected President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO (LA Fed), the second largest central labor body in the United States, with more than 300 affiliated unions representing
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly66. Soyla Fernandez
In 2004, Soyla Fernandez opened Fernández Government Solutions, one of the first lobbying firms in California owned and operated by a Latina. Her firm, now known as Fernandez Jensen Kimmelshue Government Affairs, is another one of the
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly95. Margie Estrada
Margie Estrada may or may not someday make it into the Capitol Weekly Top 100 Hall of Fame. But she has been compared to one of its newest members, the estimable Kip Lipper. Now that is some
Seeking a home, image by Ralf GeitheThe Newsom administration has put a lot of faith in its own Housing First strategies, which prioritizes permanent housing solutions, to address the problem. But not everyone is as enamored of the program as is the governor.
Allison Lim, photo by Scott DuncanLim describes herself as a problem solver, a decision maker, and as someone who enjoys being intellectually challenged. She evaluates her career based on whether these attributes are encouraged and whether her opinions are respected. That, Allison said, is how she ended up working with Assemblymember Lee.
Outnumbered, image by Hernan E. SchmidtDuring one unremarkable time period of four weeks, the number of political filings was roughly 12 times greater than the total number of people working for the agency charged with overseeing the accuracy and legality of those very filings. And that was a slow month.
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly85. Michael Pimentel
Transportation was another sector seemingly doomed to be a budget casualty this year when Gov. Gavin Newsom froze $2.4 billion in state transportation funds in April. One problem: local transit agencies had already begun huge projects based
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly28. Lia Lopez
Lia Lopez is another one of those vital Capitol aides who is anonymous to the general public but invaluable to those inside the Legislative machine. As the Chief Administrative Officer for the Assembly Rules Committee, Lopez oversees
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly46. Mary Kennedy
If you’re looking for legislative drama, nothing beats the public safety committees, with their high-profile votes on drugs and crime. But while the hearings in the Assembly are often contentious and/or dysfunctional, there’s no such drama on
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly47. Mark McKenzie
Mark McKenzie is another of those legislative aides who might not stand out in a crowd of two, but you can sure bet that his presence is felt all around the Capitol community. He’s the Staff Director