Hannah Orbach-Mandel, photo by Joah Harrison, Capitol Weekly. Not every policy expert successfully identifies a gap within legislation and pioneers their way through our bureaucracy to solve it. 27-year-old Hannah-Orbach Mandel, policy analyst at the California Budget and Policy Center, has done just that.
Dana Cruz. Photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyAt 32 years old, Capitol Weekly Rising Star Dana Cruz has already served in the military, passed the California Bar Exam, and worked in all three branches of California State Government.
Derek Kirk, photo by Capitol WeeklyDerek Kirk’s greatest strength, according to the Gallup Strengthsfinder test, is WOO, or “winning over others.” In Kirk’s short but impressive career, this judgment rings true.
Andrea Amavisca, photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyRaised as the child of immigrant parents in Imperial County, a rural agricultural region in Southern California nestled along the Mexico border, Andrea Amavisca always understood the value of immigrant rights. While she continues to work in that space, she is now working more closely on where LGBTQ+ rights and immigrant rights intersect.
Loyal Terry, photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyThe newest Capitol Weekly Rising Star, Loyal Terry, Assembly Fellow for Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), takes inspiration from the lived experiences of his late father, his aunts and uncles, and himself. Terry approaches policy from a holistic perspective, having experienced how housing, transportation, health, and more intersect to impact working-class people.
Julie Cravatto, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyJulie Cravotto, Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-San Luis Obispo), originally thought she would pursue a career in the public health field, but that ambition quickly came to a halt when she was assigned to a cadaver lab in high school as part of a medical school preparation program. Nonetheless, she learned the invaluable lesson that there are various avenues to serve people in this world besides attending to cadavers.
Judy Yee, photo by Scott Duncan photographyJudy Yee, legislative director for Assemblymember Luz Rivas, isn’t just focused on her own career. She is looking to lift up those who have come behind her.
Emma Manoukian Chung, photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyIf anyone is up for a good challenge, it’s Emma Manoukian Chung. At 23 years old, Manoukian Chung had her sights set on a job at Bicker, Castillo, Fairbanks & Spitz Public Affairs (BCFS). Sure enough, they weren’t hiring. Undeterred, she pitched herself to the team, and before long, she was working on some of
Maxie Holmberg-Douglas has had a passion for public speaking and storytelling from the age of 11, when she competed to be the local rodeo queen of her small town. Now at just 27 she is drawing high praise as the Director of Communications for the California Senate Republican Caucus.
Cynthia Alvarez, image by Scott Duncan PhotographyFor Cynthia Alvarez, chief of staff to Sen. Lena Gonzalez, has had an affinity for helping people since her childhood growing up in Inglewood.