Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Jason Sisney

19. Jason Sisney

You could argue that Jason Sisney has earned two spots on this list. He is the Assembly’s top budget advisor and has been so since 2018, a role that by default would put you on the Top 100. But Sisney also publishes budget information prodigiously on his #CABudget newsletter on Substack, providing incredible insight into the budget and the process. From the start of the year through the beginning of June, he published more than 30 posts in 2025, four between June 8 and 10 alone, at the height of budget negotiations. There are journalists who aren’t as productive – which pains us to say but those are real facts, not alternative ones – and he’s doing it in his spare time, educating the public and insiders on a complex and sometimes arcane process that many claim they understand but only a few truly know inside and out. The bottom line is his expertise and importance to legislative leaders and everyone involved in putting together the state budget is impossible to understate. Sure, maybe he’s a wonk. But we mean that in the best possible way.

Updated Aug.26, 2025