Margaret Gladstein

A partner at Capitol Advocacy, Margaret brings over 25 years of political and public policy experience. She serves as co-lead of the firm’s Financial Services and Artificial Intelligence Technology and Privacy practices.

Recognized as a trusted advisor and influential voice in shaping policy decisions that impact her clients, Margaret covers a diverse range of issues. She has played a pivotal role in shaping privacy and consumer protection legislation across multiple sectors, including technology, retail, financial services/fintech, and others. Margaret’s expertise in privacy and tech policy has earned her recognition as a speaker at events such as the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Retail Federation.

Margaret’s strategic coalition-building has driven successful legislative outcomes.She has driven client interests in clean energy, electric/autonomous vehicles, AI, and entertainment. She proactively shapes critical policy and is recognized for her ability to effectively mitigates harmful legislation.

Prior to joining Capitol Advocacy, Margaret served as the Chief Consultant of the California State Assembly Banking and Finance Committee. Her early career experience at Bain and Company, coupled with a stint in the financial services industry, enables Margaret to offer clients a unique blend of insights from both public and private sectors as she works with them through the intricate landscape of California’s legislative, administrative, and regulatory domains.

In addition to her policy acumen, Margaret provides strategic counsel on navigating California’s ever-evolving political terrain. With over a decade of experience as a campaign consultant for statewide initiatives and legislative candidates throughout the Western United States, Margaret was recognized as a “Rising Star” from the American Association of Political Consultants. Originally from Oklahoma, Margaret graduated with honors from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband Tim share a passion for travel, particularly enjoying visits to their daughter, who is as a public relations professional in New York.

Marc Aprea

Marc Aprea has political and legislative expertise in areas that include alcoholic beverages, energy, franchising, information technology, local government, procurement, solid and hazardous waste, sports and entertainment, technology, state budget, taxation, and transportation. Aprea has provided advice and advocacy for various interests in California at the state and local level for more than 45 years. Marc began his career running the Northern California public opinion survey operation on the successful 1974 gubernatorial campaign of Jerry Brown.

Aprea later was an advance man on the 1980 presidential campaign of Jerry Brown and the 1984 presidential campaign of Vice-President Walter Mondale. From 1980 to 1998, Aprea served in a variety of government relations capacities with the International Franchise Association, The Southland Corporation (owners and operators of 7-Eleven convenience stores) and with Browning-Ferris Industries (a leading provider of solid waste collection, recycling, and disposal services). Throughout the years, Marc has successfully developed and implemented political and legislative strategies that resulted in the enactment of legislation for the benefit of his clients. Marc lives in Sacramento with his wife Sharon. They have twin 28-year-old children, Brooke and Alex.

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 information on state spending, impacting a wide variety of sectors.

Over the course of his experience in the private sector Chris has become familiar with a wide array of issue areas and has honed his skills in communicating key information to clients in a timely fashion on their top issues. Prior to his time in the private sector, 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 the development of public policy.

Chris has a proven track record for working in a bipartisan 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 Members and staff think and are likely to engage on legislation. Other issues that he has previously engaged in include, but are not limited to, electric vehicles, solid waste and recycling, energy, housing, employer issues, sports and entertainment, 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 two daughters, Rhiannon and Camila.