Downtown Sacramento from the Capitol building. (Photo: Norcal_kt, Shutterstock)
California Legislature Awash With Lobbyists, Second to New York
There are 3,245 registered lobbyists, 120 legislators
By Chris Micheli, August 30, 2025 2:30 pm
As a legislative geek, I compared the number of lobbyists to legislators in a number of jurisdiction, including California. First, I looked at the federal and international levels. Then, I turned to states that had readily accessible information and compared them to California.
The following are the results:
European Union
720 legislators
12,425 registered lobbyists in 2022
Roughly 17:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
US Congress
535 legislators
13,037 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 24:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
New York
213 legislators
6,113 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 29:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Massachusetts
200 legislators
1,500 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 8:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Texas
181 legislators
2,000 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 11:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Oregon
90 legislators
1,100 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 12:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Michigan
148 legislators
1,500 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 10:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Wisconsin
132 legislators
750 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 6:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Colorado
100 legislators
1,100 registered lobbyists in 2022
Roughly 11:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Georgia
236 legislators
1,144 registered lobbyists in 2022
Roughly 5:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
Virginia
140 legislators
1,108 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 8:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
California
120 legislators
3,245 registered lobbyists in 2024
Roughly 27:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator
As can be seen from the summary data above, California has one of the highest number of lobbyist to legislator ratios of all jurisdictions, which is nearly two or three times that of many states.
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Like FLEAS on a dog….
No wonder California politics is such a corrupt cesspool….
For sale to the highest bidder….
The worst part is they’re all liberal progressive democratic grifters – not one pushing any common sense policies.
Gun control, but let’s let criminals out of jail and in many cases, not even arrested and prosecute them.
Lobbyists have helped make the criminal Democrat thug mafia that controls the state very wealthy.
Melahat Rafiei, once an influential figure in Orange County Democrat politics, was sentenced by a federal judge to six months in prison for attempted wire fraud. Rafiei, who previously led the Orange County Democrat Party and worked as a prominent lobbyist, admitted guilt in 2023 under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. In addition to acknowledging the wire fraud charge, she admitted that she attempted to bribe two Irvine City Council members to secure favorable cannabis legislation. Although she was not charged with the bribery allegations, her plea agreement made it clear that she had actively used political influence for personal and financial gain.
The case had been stalled for years, mainly because Rafiei agreed to cooperate with federal investigators after her arrest. Facing the possibility of significant charges, she quickly became a confidential informant to the FBI. Her cooperation proved vital in exposing corruption within Anaheim’s city government, most notably the plan by former Mayor Harry Sidhu and Anaheim Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Ament to sell Angel Stadium to the Los Angeles Angels without proper public oversight. Sidhu later received a two-month prison sentence for lying to investigators and related federal charges, while Ament pleaded guilty to fraud and still awaits sentencing.
The judge in Rafiei’s case, however, made clear that she only cooperated because she had been caught, not out of any genuine commitment to transparency or justice.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/california-democrat-lobbyist-gets-six-months-jail-wire/