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 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 education bureaucracy is sometimes, rightly, described as byzantine – we also have a Department of
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 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 (Chuck Bell and Colleen McAndrews also have been on the Top 100, FYI). Hiltachk has
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 significant victories: helping elect reformist District Attorneys Chesa Boudin and George Gascón in San Francisco
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 become a leading business community consultant, even leading independent expenditures for several moderate Democrats in
Illustration by Chris Shary92. Scott Rodd
In just over two years covering politics at the Capitol, Scott Rodd’s work has shown that he and his employers at Sacramento’s Capital Public Radio won’t settle for pedestrian daily coverage. Rodd’s investigation into California’s failed wildfire prevention efforts led to a $500 million increase in this year’s state budget— not bad for
Illustration by Chris Shary100: Alexei Koseff
Fodder for national pundits, ambitious Republicans and a Saturday Night Live skit, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attendance at a maskless birthday party for lobbyist Jason Kinney (see No. 65) at The French Laundry was the game-changing California politics story of 2020, thanks to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Alexei Koseff. It provided fuel