Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Jim DeBoo

3: Jim DeBoo

When DeBoo stepped down as Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff last winter, it was really unclear even to him what role, if any, he would have in Newsomland going forward. But, almost a year later, DeBoo continues to have major influence in and around the governor’s office. Few people know all the players and the process around the Capitol better than he does, and moreover, he is one of a very small number of people that everyone in the horseshoe trusts. Case in point: when the governor was pushing his infrastructure reform package through the Legislature, DeBoo was tasked with reaching out to lawmakers and outside advocacy folks to make sure everyone stayed on point with their messaging. And when the dust settled, the governor got most of what he wanted out of the deal. DeBoo has declined to get involved in any current political races, but we expect he’ll be knee deep into Newsom’s effort to get voters in 2024 to approve a $4.68 billion bond measure to reform the Mental Health Services Act.
Christy Bouma

Updated Aug. 15, 2023