Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Mark Weideman

59. Mark Weideman

Mark Weidman, a lobbyist, consultant and political strategist, touts himself as having “decades of experience representing some of the nation’s most sophisticated and politically powerful clients,” and it’s not hyperbole. The current client list of his firm, the Weideman Group, includes AARP, Blue Shield of California (where he once served as an officer), the California Lawyers Association, the California State Council of Service Employees and Mooretown Rancheria, among dozens of others. An attorney, Weideman received his B.A. from UC Berkeley and a law degree from UC Hastings College of Law, and also once served as an officer of AT&T California. In recent years, he is perhaps best known for his work in helping Blue Shield take the lead on California’s COVID-19 vaccination program, a decision that caught some in the Capitol community by surprise, but makes sense when you look at the players involved. Blue Shield President and CEO Paul Markovich has long been an ally of Gov. Newsom, and Weideman enjoys the trust of the administration.

Updated Aug. 15, 2023