Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Kimberly Rodriguez

65. Kimberly Rodriguez

It’s been a tough year in the Senate. Okay, longer than that. Which is maybe why there was a palace coup in June that will eventually unseat Senate pro Tem Mike McGuire in favor of incoming pro Tem Monique Limón. We’re not sure what it will all mean for Kimberly Rodriguez, who has become something of a fixture in the pro Tem’s office. She has been in the building for more than twenty years, including time as Policy Director under then-pro Tem Toni Atkins and then as Policy Director and Deputy Chief of Staff under McGuire. In that role she manages an 11-person staff for the Senate Democratic Caucus, with a mission of advancing the caucus’ agenda…presuming it can agree on one. In her role as Deputy Chief of Staff, she also helps Secretary of Senate Erika Contreras manage administrative matters for the upper house. When not attending to all that, Rodriguez works directly with senator’s offices and Senate committees on legislative processes to keep the trains moving. It’s hard to imagine her not filling that role for Limón, but only time will tell.

Updated Aug. 26, 2025