Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Susan Santana

54.  Susan Santana

AT&T has long maintained a major lobbying force in the Capitol, not only with its own in-house players (Matt Moretti, for one) but with other prominent advocates hired to flood the zone when big bills are up for votes and amendments. Those include others on this list and that’s where Susan Santana comes in: Santana is AT&T’s lobbying director in Sacramento. She’s not a registered lobbyist herself, but she deploys the forces. AT&T’s advocacy role is perhaps best known for its sponsorship of the Speaker’s Cup, the golfing get-together that raises money for Democrats, although its influence is felt in myriad ways throughout the Capitol. Her official title is Senior Vice President, Legislative Strategy, for AT&T and she replaced AT&T’s long-time point-person Bill Devine, for years a well-known figure in the Capitol. Santana has maintained a lower profile than her predecessor, which may partly be due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has curtailed gatherings, mano-a-mano meetings and fundraisers. Santana worked in D.C. lobbying congress for AT&T before coming to California.

Updated Aug. 9, 2022.