Jason Elliot. Illustration by Chris Shary9. Jason Elliott
Gov. Newsom’s trusted advisor and former deputy chief of staff, Jason Elliot has been with Newsom longer than anyone else in the governor’s orbit. In that role, he has run point on some of the administration’s most critical issues, including housing, homelessness and the treatment of the mentally ill. He’s served a
Marcie Frost. Illustration by Chris Shary42. Marcie Frost
The largest public pension fund in the nation is the $440 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System, and the top executive at CalPERS is Marcie Frost, who rides herd on a sort of vast nation-state that serves two million retirees and their families and draws intense international attention because of its impact
2. Ann Patterson
Ann Patterson is Gov. Newsom’s cabinet secretary and top advisor on countless issues, placing her squarely within his innermost circle. Patterson rose to this prominence by earning the governor’s trust; she started out serving as Newsom’s legal secretary, advising him on thorny matters like the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on guns and abortion
Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Illustration by Chris Shary.3. Jennifer Siebel Newsom
The First Partner of California is many things aside from being the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom. She is an outspoken advocate for issues like health care reform, gender pay equity, social media addiction, and countering negative stereotypes and imagery of women in the media. She is an accomplished documentary filmmaker
Marybel Batjer. Illustration by Chris Shary5. Marybel Batjer
Marybel Batjer is the president of the California Public Utilities Commission, one of the state’s most powerful regulatory bodies, with a vast sway over telecommunications, railroads, investor-owned utilities, and more. That’s a big deal, especially now. Last year, the PUC gave its blessing to PG&E’s bankruptcy plan, a major decision after the
Erika Contreras. Illustration by Chris Shary32. Erika Contreras
As the secretary of the Senate, Erika Contreras serves as the non-partisan, chief administrator and parliamentarian of California’s upper legislative house. Contreras is the first Latina to ever hold the office and the first woman in the job in a century. She oversees more than 150 Capitol aides, yet is virtually unknown
Brian Rice. Illustration by Chris Shary67. Brian Rice
As president of the California Professional Firefighters, Brian Rice represents 35,000 local firefighters across the Golden State, a constituency whose political potency may be unappreciated. Indeed, under Rice’s leadership, the California Professional Firefighters helped Gov. Newsom’s Prop. 1 ballot measure addressing homelessness and mental health cross the finish line, a surprisingly tight
2. Ana Matosantos
Cabinet Secretary Ana Matosantos is a familiar name on this list, and for good reason. She headed the most important single office in the government, the Department of Finance, which has the task of writing a governor’s budgets and giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to money requests from the agencies.
Rush-hour traffic in downtown Los Angeles. (Photo: TierneyMJ, via Shutterstock)Top law enforcement officials in California and New York are leading 10 other states in an attempt to retain tougher penalties for automakers that violate fuel economy standards. They filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the federal government’s decision to block a scheduled increase in the penalties for those who fail to meet fuel economy standards.
A photo illustration of a young girl in custody. (Image: structuresxx, via ShutterstockThe woman, writing to Gov. Gavin Newsom about Senate Bill 233, called herself voiceless.In her letter she told the governor about rapes she’s suffered while homeless and on the streets. Pimps had beaten her. One once threw her out of a hotel, leaving her naked in the parking lot.She feared to call police. They never listened to her before, the unnamed woman wrote.