A Changing Landscape: The 2023/2024 California Legislative Year

Elena Chávez Quezada is Senior Advisor on Social Innovation for Governor Newsom, where she spearheads the State’s partnerships with philanthropy to advance shared priorities. Prior to her role in the Governor’s Office, Chávez Quezada was Chief Impact Officer of End Poverty in California (EPIC), an effort led by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, and spent a decade in philanthropy, most recently as Vice President of Programs at the San Francisco Foundation. She also worked at the Walter and Elise Haas Fund and Tipping Point Community. Before her time in philanthropy, Chávez Quezada worked on policy and programs related to economic opportunity at various nonprofits, including Single Stop USA and the Aspen Institute. Chávez Quezada earned her Bachelor’s and Master of Public Policy degrees from Harvard University, and lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons.

Jennifer Fearing opened Fearless Advocacy -- a Sacramento-based advocacy firm specializing in advancing the policy agendas of mission-based and cause-oriented organizations -- in November 2014, after serving for six years as the lead state advocate for a major national nonprofit advocacy organization. Jennifer has helped pursue more than one hundred positive state and local legislative and regulatory outcomes and has led - with creativity and tenacity - many high-profile successes. She maintains deep relationships and broad networks with key decisionmakers in the legislature, the executive branch and with key stakeholders. Jennifer has led efforts to recruit and activate citizen advocates, developed a new legislative caucus, prepared multiple voter scorecards, produced myriad lobby days, and helped with the formation of a new Assembly select committee on the nonprofit sector.

Chris Hoene, Executive Director, leads the strategic direction of the organization, acts as primary spokesperson, and works with the board of directors and community partners to advance the organization’s values, policy directions, and development. Chris is a dynamic leader who strives to build relationships and a collective vision with a range of partners and people, including the Budget Center team, policymakers, advocates, organizers, the media, and funders to improve the lives of Californians, particularly those who have been barred from sharing in California’s prosperity.

Before joining the Budget Center in 2012, Chris worked as the director of the Center for Research and Innovation at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. He also worked as an analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. and the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco. Chris holds a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Idaho. In 2011, Chris was elected as a fellow into the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in recognition of his service to the state and local community.