Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Lorena Gonzalez

15. Lorena Gonzalez

Let’s be clear, Lorena Gonzalez is not everyone’s cup of tea. The former Assemblymember who now leads the California Federation of Labor Unions, one of the state’s most visible labor organizations, is combative, intense, blunt, aggressive, fearless, and a whole long list of other adjectives. She once famously – or infamously if you prefer – issued a simple three-word tweet (rhymes with Duck Elon Musk) that seemed to send the future co-president into a political tizzy that didn’t stop until he hit D.C. via Texas. She is also relentless – more adjectives! – in her determination to protect the interests of labor in general and the 1,300 affiliated unions that make up the Federation in specific. Those unions total over 2.3 million individual members, and when Gonzalez leads a protest at the Capitol or in the Swing Space it feels like she has brought all of them with her. Love her or hate her, and there are definitely folks in both camps, she is a force to be reckoned with at all times. Gonzalez is the first woman and first person of color to lead her organization.

Updated Aug. 26, 2025