Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Chris Woods

20. Chris Woods

Chris Woods is the Capitol’s budget Yoda, the Jedi Grand Master of all things related to California’s complicated budget process. Like Yoda, he has not come upon this wisdom lightly. Woods has in fact been involved in the creation of more state budgets than the governor and all of the legislative leaders combined. How long has Woods been around? Well, he was the Budget Director for almost 16 years in the Assembly and now he has been in the same role in the Senate for just shy of eight. That is a lot of experience (though nothing compared to Yoda, who was allegedly 800 years old). Woods also boasts two degrees from UC Davis (a bachelor’s in American Studies and a law degree) that ironically have nothing to do with fiscal maneuvers. But then, balancing the budget is more than numbers – it is an exercise in the Jedi skills of diplomacy, political acumen and old-fashioned savvy, all of which Woods has in spades. And we hear he’s pretty good with a light saber.

Updated Aug. 26, 2025