Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly46. Mary Kennedy
If you’re looking for legislative drama, nothing beats the public safety committees, with their high-profile votes on drugs and crime. But while the hearings in the Assembly are often contentious and/or dysfunctional, there’s no such drama on the Senate side and that seems to be due in large part to Mary Kennedy,
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly47. Mark McKenzie
Mark McKenzie is another of those legislative aides who might not stand out in a crowd of two, but you can sure bet that his presence is felt all around the Capitol community. He’s the Staff Director of the Senate Appropriations Committee, meaning any bill with a big fiscal component will pass
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Today we welcome CalMatters’ new editor in chief, Kristen Go, who joined the newsroom at the end of May. We asked her about her vision for CalMatters, how the nonprofit news model stacks up against traditional media, and about AB 886, Asm. Buffy Wicks’ proposal to force tech giants to fund reporting.
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly30. Lindsey Cobia
Lindsey Cobia has been described as Gov. Newsom’s “Swiss army knife,” involved in basically all manner of political decisions the governor makes. But as Newsom this year took on an even bigger national profile, her role as the executive director of the governor’s Campaign for Democracy PAC may have made her even
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly26. Viviana Becerra
As Chief of Staff to Attorney General Rob Bonta, Viviana Becerra can probably relate to how famed jockey Ron Turcotte felt riding the mighty Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown of horse racing. Wait, did we just compare Rob Bonta to a horse? Yes, but that’s beside the point. What matters is
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly19. Liz Snow
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas has surrounded himself with several top-notch advisors, but perhaps no one is more important to his day-in and day-out success than his chief of staff, Liz Snow. Known for her level head and steady approach, Snow draws upon a deep reserve of political experience, having served as president
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly12. Rick Rivas
Rick Rivas’s official title is Vice President, California for the American Beverage Association. As such he is not on anyone’s official Assembly org chart. But if he were, he could well be listed as “Younger Brother of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.” Don’t laugh – Rick is widely understood to be the Speaker’s
Illustration by Chris Shary, for Capitol Weekly10. Gayle Miller
This is Gayle Miller’s first time on the Top 100 list, but she is hardly a newbie to the Capitol. Miller has served numerous posts around the building, dating back to her days as a staffer with former Senate pro Tem John Burton. Much of that duty has been in the Senate,
Digitized athletes, image by Marko AliaksandrAlthough two sports betting ballot measures went down in flames last year, some forms or derivatives of sports betting are not only legal in California, but at least one tribe with a casino is facilitating it. The key to understanding how this could be is to understand that “sports betting,” in the broadest sense, can take many different forms.
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Sacramento political communications expert Roger Salazar has deep roots in Democratic politics, but Salazar has even deeper roots in the off-roading/Jeeper community: The earliest known photo of his father shows Salazar senior in front of the family’s 1946 Willys Jeep. We asked him about his experiences, and how he navigates the trickiest terrain on the trail: the largely right-leaning politics of many of his pals in the Jeeper community.