Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher

10. Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher

A former state lawmaker, Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher leads the California Labor Federation, another of the state’s most prominent labor organizations. CLF is affiliated with 120 unions that represent a combined 2.1 million workers, including the United Farm Workers, whom Gonzalez Fletcher brought into the fold when she left the Assembly in 2022 to take over the organization. Given that reach, it is not hyperbole to say she is one of the few lawmakers who actually got more powerful after leaving office. And she is not shy about using that power. Driven, passionate about helping workers and often confrontational, Gonzalez Fletcher is not inclined to back down to anyone. She is not for everyone, but rest assured she doesn’t lose sleep at night over what anyone thinks of her. The daughter of an immigrant farm worker and a nurse, Gonzalez Fletcher was the CEO and secretary-treasurer of the San Diego and Imperial County Labor Council before serving in the Assembly. She has degrees from Stanford, Georgetown and the UCLA law school.

Updated Aug. 7, 2024