Illustration by Chris Shary39. Jennifer Barrera
Jennifer Barrera is an executive vice president of the California Chamber of Commerce, which means she wears two hats: She develops policy and strategy, and she represents the Chamber in legal reform spats, which presumably includes smacking unionized labor and pushing for business tax breaks. But whatever Barrera does, she’s doing it well.
Illustration by Chris Shary28. Jason Sisney
Jason Sisney is the state budget adviser to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and traditionally this job is one of the most important in the Legislature. Sisney is the lead budget negotiator for the Assembly Democratic Caucus and the Speaker in dealings with the Senate and the administration. Like a number of state
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 Office, the Franchise Tax Board, CalPERS, CalSTRS and something called the Department of Tax and
Dee Dee Myers10. Dee Dee Myers
California political reporters with long memories may recall Dee Dee Myers from her days as spokeswoman for Tom Bradley’s 1986 gubernatorial campaign. She impressed newsies then, and she went on to impress just about everyone else soon enough. She was a spokesperson for Michael Dukakis and Dianne Feinstein, and she did
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 is director of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, and his
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 Oakley, who has been chancellor since 2016, makes no bones about keeping that message in
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 Shary44. Linda Darling-Hammond
Linda Darling-Hammond is the president of the State Board of Education, the policy-making body that sets academic standards and curriculum for California’s sprawling K-12 educational system, which serves about 6 million students. If anyone was qualified for this gig, it’s Darling-Hammond. She’s a professor in education at Stanford University, the founding president
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 Shary53. Mark Weideman
Lobbyist Mark Weideman, who heads the Mark Weideman Group, had a very busy year: He was on the ground floor of the Newsom administration’s decision in January to place Blue Shield in charge of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program. A number of counties balked loudly at the move, and it was a major