Illustration by Chris Shary43. Harmeet Dhillon
Harmeet Dhillon is the founder of a nationally recognized business litigation law firm – the Dhillon Law Group – and the founder of the Center for American Liberty, which targets discrimination and civil liberties. A Sikh who was born in India and came to the U.S. as a child, Dhillon, a Republican,
Illustration by Chris Shary66. Linda Darling-Hammond
Her name is not widely recognized by the general public, but Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the State Board of Education, is well-known indeed to educators, not only in California but across the country. California’s state education bureaucracy is sometimes, rightly, described as byzantine – we also have a Department of
Illustration by Chris Shary50. Orrin Heatlie
A retiree after a 25-year-stint in the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department, Orrin Heatlie is credited with being the spark that touched off the recall drive against Gov. Gavin Newsom. Heatlie has characterized Newsom as a “rogue governor,” who deserves to be ousted. Newsom now faces his sixth recall effort, but it’s the
Illustration by Chris Shary48. Mark Weideman
Mark Weideman heads one of the largest lobbying firms in Sacramento, the Weideman Group, which billed more than $10 million through the first 15 months of the legislative session. The firm’s roughly 70 clients include AARP, Blue Shield of California and Carnival Cruises. Weideman received his bachelor’s from UC Berkeley and a
Illustration by Chris Shary
63. Tom Hiltachk
Attorney Tom Hiltachk started out handling civil litigation, but for the past three decades he’s focused on political and election law. He’s the managing partner at Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk in Sacramento, a major Republican political law firm (Chuck Bell and Colleen McAndrews also have been on the Top 100, FYI). Hiltachk has
Illustration by Chris Shary37. Cassie Gilson
With Jason Kinney (No. 36) and Kevin Schmidt, Cassie Gilson co-founded Axiom Advisors in 2019 and the trio quickly turned it into one of Sacramento’s top lobbying firms. Indeed, through the first 15 months of the legislative cycle, Axiom trails only Capitol Advocacy and California Strategies in payments, with nearly $11.9 million.
Illustration by Chris Shary71: Anne Irwin
Anne Irwin is the Director of San Francisco-based Smart Justice California, which “works to elect and educate state and local policymakers who champion smart, meaningful criminal justice reforms.” The group launched in 2017, and since then has notched significant victories: helping elect reformist District Attorneys Chesa Boudin and George Gascón in San Francisco
Illustration by Chris Shary79: Matt Rexroad
Matt Rexroad is the chief legal counsel for Redistricting Insights, a former Yolo County Supervisor and former legislative staffer. Rexroad is a key adviser to Republicans, including House Minority Leader, and Speaker-in-waiting, Kevin McCarthy. He has also become a leading business community consultant, even leading independent expenditures for several moderate Democrats in
Illustration by Chris Shary53. Juan Rodriguez
The Bearstar Strategies trio of Rodriguez, Sean Clegg and Ace Smith have all been individual regulars on this list. Last year we had them as a unit, a three-headed Hydra if you will, but this time we’re focusing on Rodriguez in deference to his leadership on the campaign to thwart
Illustration by Chris Shary86. Jacob Mejia
If something is happening within California’s tribal communities, Jacob Mejia is either involved or knows all about it. Always. The public affairs director for the influential Pechanga Band of Indians, Mejia was a critical player in the fight to keep sports betting out of California in 2022. But that’s just probably how