Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Jason Elliot

Jason Elliot. Illustration by Chris Shary

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

11. Jason Elliott

Jason Elliot wants to save the world. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former Deputy Chief of Staff left the administration last year to start his own consulting firm, Versus, but as with many folks who announce their intentions to leave the Newsom inner circle, the actual leaving has been hard to do. Maybe that’s

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Marcie Frost

Marcie Frost. Illustration by Chris Shary

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

42. Marcie Frost

The largest public pension fund in the nation is the $440 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System, and the top executive at CalPERS is Marcie Frost, who rides herd on a sort of vast nation-state that serves two million retirees and their families and draws intense international attention because of its impact

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Ann Patterson

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

3. Ann Patterson

We thought she was out, but like Michael Corleone she just keeps getting pulled back in. For years Patterson served as Newsom’s Cabinet Secretary, essentially his top advisor on, well, everything. But this year has been one of big transitions in Newsomworld, including the ascension of Patterson’s husband Nathan Barankin to the

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Illustration by Chris Shary.

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

16. Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Trying to assess the role of the First Partner can be challenging. Siebel Newsom is definitely not involved in the day-to-day operations of the governor’s office in the way Anne Gust Brown was for Gov. Jerry Brown, but neither is she just an ornament on her husband’s arm. She is an

No. 5: Capitol Weekly’s Top 100

Marybel Batjer. Illustration by Chris Shary

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

5. Marybel Batjer

Marybel Batjer is the president of the California Public Utilities  Commission, one of the state’s most powerful regulatory bodies, with a vast sway over telecommunications, railroads, investor-owned utilities, and more. That’s a big deal, especially now. Last year, the PUC gave its blessing to PG&E’s bankruptcy plan, a major decision after the

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Erika Contreras

Erika Contreras. Illustration by Chris Shary

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

27. Erika Contreras

Erika Contreras may be the most important unelected person in California’s legislative branch. As the nonpartisan Chief Administrator and Parliamentarian of the upper house, she oversees every aspect of the institution, from human resources and accounting, to contracts and legal issues, to operations and facilities (in Sacramento buildings and in nearly 70

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Brian Rice

Brian Rice. Illustration by Chris Shary

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

75. Brian Rice

Brian Rice leads the California Professional Firefighters, representing 35,000 local firefighters across the state who are far more politically active than many appreciate. Last year, for example, they helped Gov. Newsom pass his Prop. 1 ballot measure addressing homelessness and mental health. Rice is a political veteran who for 12 years headed

Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Ana Matosantos

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.21.2019

2. Ana Matosantos

Cabinet Secretary Ana Matosantos is a familiar name on this list, and for good reason. She headed the most important single office in the government, the Department of Finance, which has the task of writing a governor’s budgets and giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to money requests from the agencies.

Capitol Weekly Podcast: A chat about the Top 100

by Capitol Weekly Staff posted 08.14.2019

It’s been a decade (!) since we launched the Top 100 list, so on the Capitol Weekly Podcast today thought we’d chat with the person who was there and started it all — Anthony York, a veteran reporter and the founding editor of the revamped Capitol Weekly. What began as a reward-your-friends-and-punish-your-enemies exercise in clickbait and cheek gradually morphed into a document of some value, however limited and flawed.