Rusty Areias is a partner at California Strategies, a leading public strategy and government relations firm in California. Prior to being a part of California Strategies, he served 12 years in the California Assembly, representing Merced, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara Counties. During his time in the assembly, he successfully led the effort to locate a new University of California campus in the San Joaquin Valley, ultimately in Merced, and carried the legislation to establish California State University, Monterey Bay. He served as chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and Committee of Earthquakes and Natural Disasters following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. He then served as director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, where he cut park fees in half, boosting attendance at state parks by 23 million. He also served four years as a California Coastal Commissioner, including two years as chair. Prior to his public service, he managed day-to-day operations of the Areias Dairy farms and received numerous awards for farming excellence. He was appointed by Governor Gavin Newson to the University of California Board of Regents in 2026. He also serves on the board of the Children’s Law Center of California and is a member of the Public Policy Institute of California’s board of directors.

Tani Cantil-Sakauye is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. Before she was elected statewide as the Chief Justice of California, she served more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts and was appointed or elevated to higher office by three governors. Earlier in her career she served as a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and on the senior staff of Governor Deukmejian, first as deputy legal affairs secretary and later as a deputy legislative secretary. Currently she is also an associate professor at the University of Virginia, and a board member for the University of California Center for Students, the Kaiser Arbitration Oversight Board, and the Alliance of Retired Chief Justices. She holds a BA and a JD from the University of California, Davis.

James Gallagher represents California’s Assembly District 3 and is minority leader of the state assembly. Before his election to the assembly in 2014, he served for six years on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors. Advocating for small businesses and farmers in his legal practice, he is also a partner in his family’s farming operation. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in the passage of over 50 bills, with five signed by the governor in the previous year. Notable legislative achievements include supporting Paradise’s recovery from the 2018 Camp Fire, facilitating safe and affordable drinking water for the City of Willows, and assisting military families in obtaining temporary professional licenses for military spouses. Among his legislative wins are AB 1709 (2016), which modernizes codes related to “deaf or hearing impaired” individuals; AB 255 (2017), ensuring that sexually violent predators released by the Department of State Hospitals cannot be placed in counties without community ties; and AB 430 (2019), providing housing relief for Camp Fire victims through a streamlined ministerial process for housing developments meeting specific criteria in impacted areas. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of California, Berkeley and a law degree at the University of California, Davis.

Brian W. Jones represents California’s 40th Senate District and serves as the Senate Minority Leader of the Senate Republican Caucus. His platform focuses on reducing the cost of living, acting on homelessness, tackling crime, and restoring educational excellence. In the Senate, he has sponsored numerous notable pieces of legislation, including legislation that suspends certain gas taxes and fees, compassionately clears encampments while delivering services to the homeless, helps end human trafficking, and stops sexually violent predators from entering communities. He started his career in public service as a Santee City Council member from 2002–2010 and from 2017–2018. He was elected to represent California’s 77th Assembly District from 2010–2012, the 71st Assembly District from 2012–2016, and the 38th Senate District from 2018–2022. While in the Assembly, he focused on creating a better economic environment for small businesses and supporting the armed forces members and veterans. He attended Grossmont College and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at San Diego State University.