Sacramento - Capitol Advocacy

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez joined Capitol Advocacy in 2025 as a Legislative Assistant, where she supports Cesar Diaz, Dean Grafilo, and Jennifer Roe. In this role, she manages complex calendars, arranges travel, schedules client visits, and facilitates communication across government offices, state agencies, and key stakeholders.

With more than 25 years of experience in California’s legislative arena, she brings extensive institutional knowledge and administrative expertise. Jennifer worked in the California State Senate, providing high-level executive support to five Senate President pro Tempore’s: Senators Mike McGuire, Toni Atkins, Kevin De León, Darrell Steinberg, and Don Perata.

Previously, she served for 11 years as the sole Executive Assistant to the Senate President pro Tempore’s Policy Unit. In this role, she supported the Legislative Director and Principal Policy Consultants with scheduling, correspondence, coordinating policy activities, managing daily operations, legislative tracking, and report preparation. Her sound judgment, discretion, and deep understanding of the legislative processes earned her the trust of Senate leadership and colleagues alike.

Beyond her work in government, Jennifer has dedicated her time to volunteer work. She served for nearly a decade on the board of a Soccer Club in Sacramento, where she helped coordinate player registration, scheduling and organize community events. Jennifer holds a Career Certificate in Bookkeeping and Office Management from Sacramento City College. Originally from San Diego, she has made Sacramento her home for over 25 years, where she and her husband have established a life while raising their family.

Charissa Lott

As the firm’s Director of Operations, Charissa Lott brings over twenty years of legislative, political, and client communications experience to Capitol Advocacy. Charissa oversees the firm’s in-house functions, while also coordinating and providing guidance on all legislative filings required by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) and California Secretary of State on behalf of the firm’s clients.

Along with Charissa’s FPPC compliance duties, she manages the firm’s large political and legislative events. In accordance with the clients’ political resources, Charissa plans social and political events that have included various Governors, Assembly and Senate Leaders, and members of both houses. She also routinely manages legislative “lobby days,” coordinating hundreds of association and organization members in Sacramento to meet their legislators and hear speakers pertinent to their respective industries.

Working closely with the firm’s managing partner, Charissa oversees client communications, works with the firm’s Controller on client contracts, and generates client activity reports as needed. Charissa is also involved in the legislative function of the firm, analyzing legislation as it is introduced and amended, and conducting research and coordination of political activities.

Prior to joining Capitol Advocacy in 2000, Charissa worked in a similar capacity at another Sacramento-based lobbying firm and as a staff member for a former Assemblymember. This experience has helped shape Charissa’s analytical and problem solving skills, which are utilized to troubleshoot issues for the firm’s clients and ensure Capitol Advocacy’s internal affairs function smoothly.

Charissa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Sacramento. She resides in Roseville with her husband, Robert, and their two children, Madison and Tyler.

Sam Mahood

Sam Mahood brings an extensive background in California politics and government to Capitol Advocacy, serving in key communications and policy roles in both Sacramento and Washington, DC. Sam’s areas of expertise include transportation electrification, technology and privacy, and appropriations.

As a state legislative staffer, Sam was a communications staffer for State Senators Mark DeSaulnier and Bill Monning and Assembly Speaker John A. Perez. After his stint working in the State Legislature, he joined Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s administration as Press Secretary. As the primary spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, Sam helped distill complex policy for the media, worked to advance some of California’s most historic election reforms, and helped defend our democracy from unprecedented attacks from foreign and domestic actors.

Sam continued working for Alex Padilla following his appointment to serve as United States Senator. In Senator Padilla’s Capitol Hill office, Sam was the lead staffer on appropriations, managing requests from stakeholders across the state and delivering federal funding to communities all over California. He also served as transportation policy advisor for the Senator, working to advance many of California’s major transportation infrastructure projects. Outside of government, Sam has served as an elected delegate to both the California Democratic Party and Democratic National Convention. Born and raised in the Bay Area and a graduate of UC Davis, Sam now lives in Midtown Sacramento with his girlfriend and their cat Dash.

Carin Martin

Carin Martin joined Capitol Advocacy as a Legislative Assistant in 2019. She supports Dean Grafilo and Sam Mahood by organizing and managing their calendars and scheduling client visits and meetings within the Capitol and state agencies.

Carin brings over a decade of experience working with the legislative offices and state agencies and has built relationships with their support staff, which benefits the firm’s clients and helps them achieve their policy goals in Sacramento.

In addition to supporting Dean and Sam, Carin assists in coordinating and providing guidance on all legislative filings required by the California Fair Political Practices Commission and California Secretary of State on behalf of the firm’s clients.

Prior to joining the firm, Carin worked as an office manager and executive assistant for a boutique lobbying firm in Sacramento for over ten years, where she supported the managing partner and handled all office administration duties. In addition, she coordinated all FPPC filings for the firm’s clients. This unique experience brings valuable knowledge to Capitol Advocacy’s clients.

Carin moved to Sacramento from San Jose to be near her four children and eight grandchildren.

Cara Martinson

Cara Martinson brings more than twenty years of experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to her work advocating on behalf of clients before the California Legislature and Administration. She has built a reputation for solving complex policy challenges, developing effective legislative and regulatory strategies, and building durable coalitions on issues involving local government, energy, land use, and environmental regulation.

Cara has held several senior government relations leadership roles, including serving as Senior Director of Regulatory and Political Affairs for a national renewable energy developer. In that role, she managed the company’s legislative and regulatory portfolio across ten western states and worked closely with policymakers to advance renewable energy and energy storage projects. Her efforts included facilitating favorable tax policies for energy storage facilities and engaging extensively with California’s Legislature and Administration to promote clean energy development.

Previously, Cara spent more than a decade representing local government interests at the California State Association of Counties. There, she led advocacy efforts on critical environmental, natural resource, and land use issues impacting counties statewide. Her work helped ensure local government priorities were reflected in the development of California’s climate policies, the allocation of greenhouse gas reduction fund resources, wildfire recovery and resilience efforts, and the passage of Proposition 64 and subsequent cannabis regulatory framework.

Cara began her career in Sacramento working to protect California’s natural landscapes, managing government affairs for a national nonprofit land trust. In addition to her experience at the state level, she brings significant local land use perspective, having volunteered nearly a decade as an appointed County Planning Commissioner. In that capacity, she reviewed and approved development proposals and helped shape land use decisions affecting the Sacramento region.

Cara earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from San Diego State University and holds a master’s degree in politics from Brandeis University. Outside of the office, she is an avid traveler and adventurer and is often planning her next trip, whether camping in the Sierras or exploring a new country. Cara lives in Sacramento’s Curtis Park neighborhood with her family.

Jessica Moran

Jessica Moran joined Capitol Advocacy as a Lobbyist in 2025. With experience lobbying on behalf of consumers and member-based associations, Jessica brings a well-rounded approach to her advocacy.

Prior to joining the firm, Jessica was a Legislative Advocate at the California Dental Association where she led successful state budget and legislative campaigns resulting in multiple bills signed into law and securing millions in state budget investments to improve access to care. In addition to the health care portfolio, Jessica staffed the association on Business & Professions issues including scope of practice, licensure and workforce shortages.

Jessica started her career in 2018 as the inaugural recipient of the Peter Harbage Policy Fellowship, where she worked at Health Access California. In her first year as a lobbyist, Jessica worked on the organization’s #Health4All campaign to expand Medi-Cal eligibility to undocumented individuals. She was part of the team that successfully negotiated the eligibility expansion to young adults (age 19-25) with a historic commitment to expand to seniors in the following year.

After her fellowship was extended, Jessica worked for a children’s advocacy organization where she staffed health, education and immigration issues.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from California State University, Los Angeles. Jessica also holds a Master in Public Health with an emphasis in health policy from the University of Southern California. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jessica is an unapologetic Dodgers fan and shares season tickets with her brothers.

Jennifer Roe

Jennifer Roe, a partner with Capitol Advocacy, joined the firm in 2015. As one of Capitol Advocacy’s senior lobbyists, Jennifer’s deep knowledge of the legislative and regulatory process, broad policy background, and strategic communications skills prove invaluable to the firm’s clients.

Jennifer co-leads the firm’s Procurement practice and advocates on behalf of clients within the Healthcare, Climate Change and Energy, and Business and Employer Representation practice areas. She has successfully represented clients in both the Legislature and the Executive Branch, helping them navigate complex legislative and regulatory processes while providing strategic counsel to effectively communicate their priorities. Her relational advocacy approach has led to successful outcomes on challenging issues, including climate change, manufacturing incentives, food and beverage reform and compliance, and healthcare transparency.

With a strong understanding of each client’s policy objectives, Jennifer’s analytical, research, and writing skills ensure timely and relevant updates on issues impacting her clients. In addition to analyzing legislation, she reviews budget proposals, monitors oversight and informational hearings, drafts position letters, and tracks regulatory matters of interest. Jennifer also plays a key role in supporting and implementing the firm’s marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Capitol Advocacy, Jennifer worked for several members of the California State Assembly, most recently serving as Capitol Director for the Minority Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair of the Assembly Business & Professions Committee. In that role, she provided strategic counsel, collaborated closely with caucus communications staff, and helped develop and implement effective legislative strategies. Jennifer also worked on a wide range of policy issues, including health and human services budget matters, Proposition 65 reform, manufacturing incentives, workplace flexibility, public safety, and utilities. Her experience as legislative staff enabled her to build strong relationships within both the Legislature and the Administration.

Originally from Sacramento, Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with an accounting emphasis, from California State University, Chico. She enjoys mentoring young professionals through SheShares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting women in the Capitol community. Jennifer lives in Roseville with her husband, Kyle, and their two daughters.

Kimber West

Kimber West joined Capitol Advocacy as a Legislative Assistant in March 2025. In her role, she supports Margaret Gladstein and Chad Mayes by coordinating and managing their calendars, as well as scheduling client meetings and visits within the Capitol and across state agencies.

Kimber brings more than 15 years of experience working with state legislators and various state agencies, including the Office of the Governor, the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Independent System Operator.

Prior to joining Capitol Advocacy, Kimber spent 16 years at a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing clean, renewable energy and climate solutions throughout California and the western United States. She began her tenure there as an Administrative Assistant, handling scheduling, travel logistics, and large-scale event coordination. For the final decade of her service, she held the role of Controller and Director of Operations, overseeing the organization’s accounting department, day-to-day operations, and grant administration and reporting.

Kimber’s deep familiarity with the inner workings of state agencies and her longstanding relationships within California’s regulatory landscape provide Capitol Advocacy’s clients with a valuable advantage.

She lives in Orangevale with her fiancé and daughter. In her free time, Kimber enjoys sports, traveling, music, and hosting gatherings with friends and family.

Kristy Wiese

Kristy Wiese, a partner with Capitol Advocacy, brings over twenty five years of experience in both public and private interests to her diverse array of clients. She co-leads the firm’s significant Healthcare practice which spans the healthcare delivery system including facilities, payors, providers and vendors who provide healthcare within California.

Much of her work is focused on California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, which covers more than one third of the state’s population. Within the firm’s other practice areas, Kristy also works on issues relating to Technology, Privacy and Artificial Intelligence. Given the complexity of California’s landscape for all businesses, Kristy also works on General Business and Employer Representation issues. Her experience and relationships within the Legislature and State government enable her to combine access with strategic advice that enables organizations to advance their policy objectives.

Kristy’s deep-rooted knowledge of clients’ issues and keen understanding of what drives California’s political structure has proven successful as she has navigated some of the state’s most challenging issues. She is recognized for her unique and intuitive approach provides clients with strategic advice that gets results. her analytical, problem-solving and communication skills, counsel on coalition building, grassroots and grass tops outreach, and strategy for facilitating bipartisan relationship building with policy makers is a winning combination for the firm’s clients.

Kristy’s experience as a key official and decision-maker within former Governor Gray Davis’ administration provides unique insights to clients seeking experienced advocates to lobby on behalf of regulatory issues at every level of government. Prior to her experience in state government, Kristy was the in-house lobbyist for one of the state’s largest non-profit, grassroots organizations, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC).

Kristy completed her undergraduate work at San Diego State University and holds a Masters of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento. Beyond the time that she invests in work, Kristy focuses her energy on supporting organizations that build community. Kristy serves on the Board of Directors for Fairytale Town, one of Sacramento’s most beloved institutions, a commitment that reflects her passion for the organization’s mission of promoting the imagination, creativity, and education of children. She also serves on the Board of the Friends of the Crisis Nurseries, an auxiliary of the Sacramento Children’s Home. The auxiliary works to enable the work of the crisis nurseries to support and strengthen families. Kristy lives in East Sacramento with her husband, Kasey, and two young children, Emily and Jack.

Chris Zgraggen

Chris rejoined Capitol Advocacy in January of 2025, after spending two years at a boutique lobbying firm in Sacramento. Prior to that, Chris spent five years at Capitol Advocacy. Chris has dedicated his time at the firm to providing clients with key information and advocacy to help them succeed.

Whether it is sponsoring a bill, or supporting/opposing other legislation, Chris does all he can to achieve his client desired results. Through relationship building and strategic planning, Chris uses his high level of written and verbal communication skills to effectively advocate for his clients. In addition, his experience in with State Budget analysis provides clients with important insight on state spending.

Over the course of his experience in the private sector Chris has become familiar with a wide array of issue areas. Previously, Chris worked for three years in the California State Assembly for several Assemblymembers, including a Central Valley Member who served as the Vice-Chair of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee. His time as a legislative staffer afforded him the opportunity to become well versed in the legislative process, gain familiarity with multiple issue areas, and be an active participant in policy development.

Chris has a proven track record for working in a strategic manner with Members and committees in order to advance legislation. During his tenure in the Legislature, he also found creative ways to advance his Member’s priorities, including leveraging the sunset review process and the budget process. His experience as a legislative staffer helps him to advise to clients how legislators and staff think and are likely to engage on legislation. Other issues that he has previously engaged in include, but are not limited to, solid waste and recycling, electric vehicle charging, energy, sports and entertainment, housing, employer issues, information technology, privacy, financial services, and local government. Chris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Davis and also holds a Master in Public Policy and Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento. He lives in Elk Grove with his wife Erin, and their children, Rhiannon, Camila, and Chance.