Illustration by Chris Shary19. Jason Sisney
You could argue that Jason Sisney has earned two spots on this list. He is the Assembly’s top budget advisor and has been so since 2018, a role that by default would put you on the Top
Illustration by Chris Shary17. Yolanda Richardson
Yolanda Richardson heads a cabinet-level agency called “GovOps,” or Government Operations Agency, which Jerry Brown created in 2013 and is intended to bring organization and rigor to nearly a dozen state operations, including Human Resources, the Census
Dee Dee MyersNo. 14 Dee Dee Myers
We preach to our interns all the time that if you make a mistake, you need to own it. So we’re going to own that we biffed it badly last year by not having Dee
Illustration by Chris Shary27. Thom Porter
Thom Porter is Gov. Gov. Newsom’s top fire fighter, a daunting task in a state which seems to face huge fires every summer and into the fall, sparked in part by the impacts of climate change. Porter
Illustration by Chris Shary32. Eloy Oakley
Eloy Oakley is the chancellor of California’s community college system, the largest postsecondary system in the United States with 2.1 million students, 73 districts and about 115 colleges. The community college system is hugely important in California, and
Illustration by Chris Shary43. Harmeet Dhillon
Harmeet Dhillon is the founder of a nationally recognized business litigation law firm – the Dhillon Law Group – and the founder of the Center for American Liberty, which targets discrimination and civil liberties. A Sikh who
Illustration by Chris Shary66. Linda Darling-Hammond
Her name is not widely recognized by the general public, but Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the State Board of Education, is well-known indeed to educators, not only in California but across the country. California’s state
Illustration by Chris Shary50. Orrin Heatlie
A retiree after a 25-year-stint in the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department, Orrin Heatlie is credited with being the spark that touched off the recall drive against Gov. Gavin Newsom. Heatlie has characterized Newsom as a “rogue governor,”
Illustration by Chris Shary53. Mark Weideman
Mark Weideman’s namesake lobbying firm, The Weideman Group, represents a wide variety of the biggest name interests in California. With all those heavyweights it is no shock his firm consistently ranks among the biggest lobbying revenue generators
Illustration by Chris Shary
63. Tom Hiltachk
Attorney Tom Hiltachk started out handling civil litigation, but for the past three decades he’s focused on political and election law. He’s the managing partner at Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk in Sacramento, a major Republican political law firm