Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly97. Marie Liu
It says a lot when someone who should know calls you “the Kip Lipper” of what you do, but that’s exactly how a lot of people see Marie Liu. For more than two decades, Liu was a policy consultant to leadership in both chambers, most recently as the top environmental policy advisor
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly48. Melanie Moreno
As staff director of the Senate Health Committee, Melanie Moreno has a hand in pretty much any health bill that lands in the Senate. Health care is always a huge issue in the Legislature, and lawmakers have long relied on her attention to the little details to get bills right. That sway
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly69. BearStar Strategies
One of the conundrums we run into every year is how to determine which one, two or three folks from a powerhouse organization to put on this list (also known as the Aaron Read & Associates Dilemma). Such is the case with Bearstar Strategies, which features three of the most powerful and
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly50. Josh Fryday
Relatively unknown to many in the Capitol community, Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday is the man tasked with overseeing one of Gavin Newsom’s passion programs – California Volunteers. But that’s not all. Underneath that umbrella are also #CaliforniansForAll Youth Corps, AmeriCorps California and Californians ForAll College Corps, which collectively will soon be
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly61. Yana Garcia
Another newbie to the list, Yana Garcia is the first Latina to ever lead the California Environmental Protection Agency. A native of Oakland, Garcia lived in Mexico during the heyday of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), where she developed a passion for advocating for environmental justice. And her power to
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly58. Doug Herman
What if you ran a mayoral campaign where your opponent burned through $100 million dollars, outspending your candidate by about 11 to one? Moreover, the strategist for the opposition is Ace Smith (no. 69), one of the most successful campaign strategists in California history. Given all that, you’d probably expect to get
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly30. Lindsey Cobia
Lindsey Cobia has been described as Gov. Newsom’s “Swiss army knife,” involved in basically all manner of political decisions the governor makes. But as Newsom this year took on an even bigger national profile, her role as the executive director of the governor’s Campaign for Democracy PAC may have made her even
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly19. Liz Snow
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has surrounded himself with several top-notch advisors, but perhaps no one is more important to his day-in and day-out success than his chief of staff, Liz Snow. Known for her level head and steady approach, Snow draws upon a deep reserve of political experience, having served as president
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly10. Gayle Miller
This is Gayle Miller’s first time on the Top 100 list, but she is hardly a newbie to the Capitol. Miller has served numerous posts around the building, dating back to her days as a staffer with former Senate pro Tem John Burton. Much of that duty has been in the Senate,
80. Nick Rowley
We’ve mentioned the revision of the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) a number of times so far: Others involved in that deal may have better numbers on this list, but without attorney Nick Rowley there would have been no deal. Rowley authored and partly funded the Fairness for Injured Patients Act