Teri Holoman. Illustration by Chris Shary8. Teri Holoman
Her title is clear – Teri Holoman is the Associate Executive Director of the California Teachers Association. In theory, that means she heads up government affairs for a union that represents 310,000 engaged members who always seem ready to mobilize for a fight. We say “in theory” because that alone does not
Lance Hastings. Illustration by Chris Shary54. Lance Hastings
With 30,000 manufacturers, California has the largest manufacturing sector in the United States. For leadership, those companies and their countless employees look to Lance Hastings, the President and CEO of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, which directly represents 400 businesses from the manufacturing community while also advocating for policies to benefit
Janus Norman. Illustration by Chris Shary35. Janus Norman
Players like Janus Norman can be really hard to assess unless there is major legislation or a ballot measure fight that puts them out front and center. As with several of the folks on this list, he prefers to play the quiet game rather than being in the news all day. But
Dan Newman. Illustration by Chris Shary90. Dan Newman
Dan Newman is a political strategist, specializing in communications, media relations, and crisis management for candidates, companies, and causes. Newman rose to prominence as partner at SCN Strategies (now Bearstar Strategies). While at SCN he worked on over a dozen successful initiative campaigns and counseled a multitude of high profile Democrats including Kamala
Carl Guardino. Illustration by Chris Shary72. Carl Guardino
The president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is Carl Guardino, whose organization represents some 350 businesses, large and small, in the high-tech heart of California. Guardino, once described by a local paper as one of the five most influential business people in Silicon Valley, has headed SVLG for more
Jennifer Kent. Illustration by Chris Shary53. Jennifer Kent
Medi-Cal: A government health care program with some 4,000 employees serving about 13.5 million people, and with an annual expenditure of about $100 billion. As executive director of the Department of Health Care Services, Jennifer Kent has responsibility over the whole enchilada. Former Gov. Jerry Brown appointed her to the position in
Dan Dunmoyer. Illustration by Chris Shary45. Dan Dunmoyer
Along with Danny Curtin (California Conference of Carpenters) Chris Hannan (State Building and Construction Trades Council) and Jim Wunderman (Bay Area Council) some might look at California Building Industry Association President and CEO Dan Dunmoyer as one of the Four Horseman of the CEQA apocalypse. As noted in the bios of his
April Verrett. Illustration by Chris Shary25. April Verrett
There are so many iterations of the Service Employees International Union, better known as SEIU, that it takes a scorecard to keep them straight. Many of their leaders are on our list – rightly, too, because their clout can be translated into votes – and that brings us to April Verrett. She is
Ann O'Leary. Illustration by Chris Shary1. Ann O’Leary
Ann O’Leary is the governor’s chief of staff, which means she manages the state’s top personnel, distills political strategy for Gov. Newsom and generally has the final say on action proposals heading his way. That alone guarantees her the top spot on the list, the position she held last year, too. But
Flo Kahn. Illustration by Chris Shary55. Flo Kahn
Floreine “Flo” Kahn is the Sacramento point person for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, otherwise known as PhRMA. She leads the organization’s massive lobbying operations, which employs six lobbying firms (Fernandez Jensen Kimmelshue Government Affairs, the Apex Group, Capitol Strategies Group, Inc., Heyworth Government Affairs, Noteware Government Relations and Gladfelty Government