Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Liane Randolph

21. Liane Randolph

Liane Randolph chairs the California Air Resources Board, one of the most aggressive government entities in the entire United States when it comes to fighting climate change. CARB is at the cutting edge of environmental regulations; its efforts to ban gas-powered leaf blowers and encourage Californians to purchase electric vehicles regularly are held up as a model for other states – and countries – to follow. 
An agency that prominent needs an experienced leader, which Randolph most certainly is. The first African American to head CARB’s governing board, Randolph previously worked for the Public Utilities Commission, the Resources Agency and the Fair Political Practices Commission. She’ll need every bit of that experience and leadership acumen to guide California in trying to reach its ambitious climate goals, a job that is almost Herculean in nature even without the possibility of a second Donald Trump presidency looming on the horizon.

Updated Aug. 7, 2024