Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Scott Wetch

65. Scott Wetch

Lobbyist Scott Wetch is most closely identified with his array of organized labor clients – plumbers, electrical workers, sheet metal workers, among others – but his client lineup also includes some major corporate names, including Verizon, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Amazon, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the California Dental Association (see No. 63). His four-lobbyist shop, located in the headquarters building of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, has more than 40 clients – about a fourth of them union locals – and all seem to be pleased with Wetch, who has been in the business for 20 years and is considered one of the most effective and aggressive advocates in the Capitol. Several lawmakers and rivals have described him as intimidating, but Wetch makes no apologies. Wetch, a third-generation native of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, has been in and around the Capitol for more than 30 years, first serving as a Senate intern while a student at Sacramento State. He became a legislative staffer, then launched his lobbying career in 2001.

Updated Aug. 9, 2022