Last night we published the 16th edition of Capitol Weekly's Top 100 - our annual analysis of the unelected political power structure in California. We look at the mostly behind the scenes players who influence policy, elections and governance, including Capitol staff, lobbyists, Agency staff, donors, business leaders, activists, Labor leaders - and even journalists.
Hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster are joined by former KQED reporter and LA Times Bureau Chief John Myers, who left journalism for communications two years ago, but still keeps a watchful eye on Golden State politics. Few political observers are more respected than Myers - one of the many reasons he was a mainstay of the Top 100 List for more than a dozen years. (His kids nicknamed his Top 100 portrait 'Old Squinty.') Myers, Ehisen and Foster discuss the broad themes that underlie the 2024 list, look at the new faces, and talk about the names on the inaugural Top 100 Hall of Fame.
1:52 Live tweeting the California Budget
4:18 The Top 100 Hall of Fame
5:37 George Skelton
9:23 Donna Lucas
11:07 Gale Kaufman
15:58 Steve Maviglio
19:49 Aaron Read
23:32 Themes of the 2024 Top 100
25:43 The executive branch and organized Labor
30:59 Jennifer Barrera
31:00 Rob Lapsley
32:06 Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher
32:41 Tia Orr
32:48 Yvonne Wheeler
33:50 Oscar Lopez
35:04 Danny Curtin
36:38 Janus Norman
37:05 Tony Bui, Laiza Negrete and Ramona Prieto
40:14 Taryn Luna
41:22 Chris Cadelago
41:30 Ashley Zavala
47:47 Who is NOT on the list - and why?
49:56 John Latimer
50:00 Liz Snow
50:06 Myesha Jackson
50:22 Building the list
59:03 Susannah Delano
1:01:39 Venn Diagram
1:04:34 Last Thoughts
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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang
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