Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Debra Gravert

32. Debra Gravert

Debra Gravert is the chief administrative officer of the Assembly Rules Committee, the powerful panel that assigns bills, approves office space, decides staffing and runs the day-to-day operations of the house. Gravert, part watchdog and part political operative, is that committee’s top executive, which means she deals with everything from personnel to politics to policy on a daily basis. As tough as the gig is, there’s not a lot of turnover here – Gravert’s predecessor, Jon Waldie, had the job for 17 years before Gravert came aboard in 2014. She twice ran for election to the Assembly from a Sacramento-area seat. Before she got her latest job she served as a chief of staff to Assemblyman Jim Frazier, an Oakley Democrat, and headed the staff of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.

Updated Aug. 9, 2022