Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Mona Pasquil Rogers

No. 79 Mona Pasquil Rogers

In a modern world where artificial intelligence, social media protections for the young and data privacy are among the biggest issues facing state legislators everywhere, of course Meta’s Director of California Public Policy is going to rank among the most influential unelected people in the Golden State. But Mona Pasquil Rogers isn’t on this list just because her employer owns Facebook and Instagram. She’s a deeply experienced political insider, having served not only as Appointments Secretary to Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown and Chief of Staff to Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, but also as acting Lieutenant Governor when Garamendi was elected to Congress. In fact, Pasquil Rogers was the first female, Asian Pacific Islander or Filipino American to serve as California Lieutenant Governor. So, don’t let the title fool you. Pasquil Rogers can command a room on her own. Representing a tech giant like Meta just makes her all the more powerful.

Updated Aug. 11, 2026