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
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
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,”
Illustration by Chris Shary53. Mark Weideman
Mark Weideman’s namesake lobbying firm, The Weideman Group, represents a wide variety of the biggest name interests in California. With all those heavyweights it is no shock his firm consistently ranks among the biggest lobbying revenue generators
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
Illustration by Chris Shary30. Cassie Gilson
Jason Kinney gets most of the attention for the meteoric rise of Axiom Advisors, but he’ll be the first to tell you that nobody deserves more credit than his business partner, Cassie Gilson. With Kinney and partner
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
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
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
Illustration by Chris Shary86. Jacob Mejia
Jacob Mejia is one of the most prominent voices for California’s tribal communities. As Public Affairs Director for the Pechanga Band of Indians, he frequently speaks to the press and public about tribal sovereignty and gaming issues,