The Mission Carmel Church in Monterey County. (Photo: jejim, via Shutterstock)In Northern California, the pastor of a megachurch hands out religious exemption forms to the faithful. A New Mexico state senator will “help you articulate a religious exemption” by pointing to the decades-old use of aborted fetal cells in the development
A photo illustration of a voter casting a ballot. (Image: PPIC)With the special election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom less than two weeks away, the share of California likely voters who say they would remove Newsom still falls short of a majority, while about half of likely voters do not currently have a choice for a replacement. Among California likely voters, 39 percent would vote yes to remove Newsom, while 58 percent would vote no.
A team from the intensive care unit at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Oregon, prepares to intubate a crashing covid-19 patient. (Photo: Michael Blumhardt, via Asante)If you live in one of the rural communities tucked into the forested hillsides along the Oregon-California border and need serious medical care, you’ll probably wind up at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. It serves about nine counties on either side of the border. It is one of three hospitals Asante owns in the region. All three ICUs are 100% full of covid patients, according to staff members.
Illustration of Gov. Newsom by Jason Seiler. Design by Judd Hertzler.As if the interminable pandemic, wildfires and drought savaging the state weren’t enough, we have added in a recall campaign against Gov. Newsom that is projected to cost the state $215 million …. and, perhaps, our patience. What started as the subtext to a bad joke has since gained a degree of traction. While we believe its chances of succeeding are slim, there is no denying that the recall has shaped behavior in Sacramento. This year’s Top 100 list reflects the turmoil.
Illustration by Chris Shary10. Jennifer Barrera
Nearly 40 percent of all businesses in California are woman-owned, so it’s fitting that the state’s largest and most powerful business advocacy organization is run by a woman. President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce
Illustration by Chris Shary19. Jason Sisney
You could argue that Jason Sisney has earned two spots on this list. He is the Assembly’s top budget advisor and has been so since 2018, a role that by default would put you on the Top
Illustration by Chris Shary17. Yolanda Richardson
Yolanda Richardson heads a cabinet-level agency called “GovOps,” or Government Operations Agency, which Jerry Brown created in 2013 and is intended to bring organization and rigor to nearly a dozen state operations, including Human Resources, the Census
Dee Dee MyersNo. 14 Dee Dee Myers
We preach to our interns all the time that if you make a mistake, you need to own it. So we’re going to own that we biffed it badly last year by not having Dee
Illustration by Chris Shary27. Thom Porter
Thom Porter is Gov. Gov. Newsom’s top fire fighter, a daunting task in a state which seems to face huge fires every summer and into the fall, sparked in part by the impacts of climate change. Porter
Illustration by Chris Shary32. Eloy Oakley
Eloy Oakley is the chancellor of California’s community college system, the largest postsecondary system in the United States with 2.1 million students, 73 districts and about 115 colleges. The community college system is hugely important in California, and