Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Teri Holoman

35. Teri Holoman

The California Teachers Association is very near the top of the tree of the powerful entities that hold sway in California politics, and Teri Holoman is one of the reasons why. The CTA has 310,000 members and a lot of money, and they play a decisive role in selecting candidates for public office and are ferocious in blocking the ones they don’t support. There have been challenges: Many people are leaving the profession and the pandemic has thrown school districts into confusion regarding masking and other rules. But primary election victories demonstrated CTA’s enormous clout: Thirty-eight of 40 candidates favored by the CTA in congressional and legislative contests are heading to November. Holoman, who earlier served as Jerry Brown’s appointments secretary, is the CTA’s associate executive director, which means she coordinates the CTA’s lobbying forces in Sacramento. The CTA has Newsom’s ear if it needs it – and often does, as shown by his move last year to tighten controls over privately managed charter schools. Full disclosure: Holoman serves on the board of Open California, the publisher of Capitol Weekly.

Updated Aug. 9, 2022