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A lot is riding on this decennial tally: It affects the way federal funding is distributed and it can have a dramatic impact on the boundaries — and number — of political districts. This time around, California’s congressional seats are on shaky ground. But the uncertainty stems as much from President Trump’s actions as from the long-awaited 2020 census numbers, which have been delayed because of the pandemic.
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Dr. Barbara O’Connor is chair of the California Emerging Technology Fund; the pandemic is highlighting the need for one of the group’s priorities: getting good, reliable internet to all Californians. Their proposal – the California Network – is being discussed at the Capitol this week.
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78. Maricela Rodriguez
Maricela Rodriguez serves in the governor’s office as the director of Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, where she helps develop communications strategy. She has also taken a lead role in the state’s decennial census Count – the ultimate outcome of which will determine how much federal funding the state receives, and could
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38. Susan Santana
Once upon a time AT&T was just a phone company. These days it is as much an all-around tech company as any in the Silicon Valley, which gives it big time oomph around the Capitol, and especially with this governor. Much credit for this goes to its new President, AT&T California and
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43. Sara Cody
On January 23, 2020, three days after the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the U.S., Santa Clara County public health officer Dr. Sara Cody established a coronavirus incident command center – three days later, the CDC confirmed the first COVID-19 case in California. The disease seemed to spread slowly – at
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40. Jared Blumenfeld
California’s environmental regulator is Jared Blumenfield, head of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and a major force in state – and national – environmental policy. Blumenfield, a gubernatorial appointee, goes way back with Newsom and knows his way around the political battlefields, state and federal: He served as Newsom’s environmental chief during
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33. Nadine Burke Harris During a pandemic, it’s a good thing to have a person crisscrossing the state extolling the virtues of wellness, preventive care and the value of vaccinations, and Nadine Burke Harris fits the bill. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Harris as California’s first surgeon general, which means she urges people to identify health
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22. Tracy Arnold
Tracy Arnold was appointed earlier this year as assistant director of the Department of Health Care Services, the state agency that supervises California’s mammoth Medi-Cal program, which serves about 13 million people, or one in every three Californians. It’s an enormous task, but Newsom found the right person: Arnold was Newsom’s chief
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20. Rhys Williams Ah, 2019. Back in those halcyon days, before everything revolved around masks, viruses and opening/closing decisions, there were other emergencies to be prepared for and Gov. Newsom directed a good deal of energy to them. On his first full day as governor, Newsom addressed emergency preparedness and announced plans to beef up the
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No. 23: Mark Ghilarducci
It’s hard to believe that there was a time when California didn’t have catastrophic wildfires every year, but those days are long gone. Now, we seem to have them all the time, even in the winter, and that’s where Mark Ghilarducci comes in. He’s the head of state Office of Emergency
Ladera Ranch, census-designated community in southern Orange County. (Photo: bonandbon, via Shutterstock)
