Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Joe Lang

No. 82 Joe Lang

Unlike some of the lobbyists we highlight, Joe Lang came to the third house relatively early in his political career. Lang started out as a staffer on the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee in 1974, then became Chief of Staff to Senate pro Tem David Roberti in 1982. By 1984 he had started his own lobbying firm, which became Lang, Hansen, Giroux & Kidane, which today remains one of the top firms in Sacramento. With just two other lobbyists, Lang’s partners Bob Giroux and Awet Kidane, the firm represents a roster of 36 clients, including the E. & J. Gallo Winery, the Hilmar Cheese Company, the Hollywood Park Casino, the International Union of Painter and Allied Trades, the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. Lang’s had his fingers in a variety of major issues over years, like the 1993 Worker’s Compensation Reform Act, the Electrical Restructuring Act of 1996 and efforts to enact comprehensive gaming regulations in the state, the last of which remains a hot topic today.

Updated Aug. 11, 2026