THE BUZZ — Oh, to have the ear of California’s Assembly speaker. Robert Rivas has kept his cards close to the vest since entering office, but that doesn’t mean he’s not working behind the scenes to craft a policy agenda, strategically place allies and neutralize enemies. From his early days as a county supervisor to his contentious bid for the gavel to running the people’s house, the Salinas lawmaker has relied on the guidance of a close set of consultants and confidants. Whether it’s political strategizing, media wrangling, or policy decisions, advisers are a key part of the Rivas operation. Of the $1.7 million his campaign spent last year, nearly $560,000 went to consultants — his top expense of 2023. We’ve already told you about his closest legislative allies. Here’s a list of his closest advisers, based on months of reporting on the speakership transition, conversations with people close to him, and his recently-released campaign disclosures: ON THE CAMPAIGN FRONT Steve O’Mara — Once his legislative chief of staff, O’Mara has also known Rivas since he was a county supervisor, and became his political director over the summer. O’Mara oversees one of the most critical functions of the speakership — making sure the caucus is protected from electoral challenges and directing fundraising dollars where they’re needed. In his spare time, O’Mara is a star athlete — he represented Ireland in cross country skiing in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Cristina Garcia — The former assemblymember is a longtime ally of the speaker and now advises his campaign on Assembly elections as a paid consultant. She is particularly helpful on races near Los Angeles, helping to bridge the gap between Rivas, a Salinas Democrat, and the SoCal delegation. Elizabeth Ashford — Ashford, an alum of Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Brown, and then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, joined Team Rivas last summer to assist with campaign communications. She has shaped his media strategy and guided his press team (and was on hand at his most recent media availability in the Capitol). At one point in 2022 Ashford was a spokesperson for Govern for California, the nonprofit run by Stanford lecturer David Crane that has ties to Rivas’ brother, Rick. More on that connection below. Jacob Regalado — Regalado provides consulting services for the Rivas campaign, advising on strategy and analytics as a support to O’Mara. He was the vice president of political and strategic affairs for California Charter Schools Association Advocates in 2022. Emelyn Rodriguez — Rodriguez is a political attorney and one of the longest serving members of Rivas’ political operations. She recently joined his office as the general counsel. Rodriguez was previously chair of the Sacramento Ethics Commission and spent 12 years as senior counsel at the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the state’s political watchdog organization. Minh Nguyen — Nguyen is a longtime Democratic consultant with ties to labor unions and is one of Rivas’ confidantes. He’s a partner at Left Coast Strategies and previously served as a senior adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Plasha Will — Plasha Will, of PFW Consulting, is the speaker’s primary fundraiser on his campaign side. Orrin Evans — Evans, a partner at the consulting firm Left Hook, has advised Rivas politically since his time as a county supervisor, and now provides strategic communications to his Assembly campaign. You can also catch him this year advising Rep. Barbara Lee’s Senate campaign and state Sen. Dave Min’s congressional bid. IN THE CAPITOL Liz Snow — As Rivas’ chief of staff, Snow is in charge of carrying out Rivas’ vision for everything on the state side — from human resources issues to policy decisions to budget strategy. She hails from Assemblymember Jim Wood’s office, where she served as his chief of staff. Nick Miller — Miller is Rivas’ director of communications on his office side, overseeing the press releases and statements from the speaker and acting as his primary liaison with reporters. Miller, who was previously a managing editor at CapRadio, can usually be found hanging around the back of the Assembly chamber during floor sessions. LONGTIMERS Anna Caballero — The state senator from Merced has had a long relationship with both the speaker and his brother, who both worked on her 2006 Assembly campaign. Robert Rivas went on to take a job in her district office following the election, and has maintained a longtime relationship with her. Dolores Huerta — Many politicians will try to claim close ties to Huerta, a labor icon and champion of farmworkers. But his connection to Huerta is real. She worked with Rivas’ grandfather during the farmworkers’ rights movements and has been a longtime mentor. Rick Rivas — The speaker’s younger brother has long been an influence in his political career — including, at one point, working as a paid consultant for his Assembly campaigns — and was a key force in helping him seize the gavel last year. Rick Rivas has served as the vice president of California government affairs for the National Beverage Association since early 2023. Prior to that, he was the legislative affairs director for Govern for California for four years. GOOD MORNING. Happy Thursday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? In Washington for National Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association meetings. Newsom is expected to meet with President Joe Biden during the NGA Governors Business Session on Friday and on Saturday during an evening reception with the nation’s governors.
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