< 25 Top Pension Power Players

State Senator Kevin de León has been the driving force behind the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program, designed to cover almost 7 million full-time private sector workers with no access to a workplace plan. Under the leadership of Senate President Pro Tempore de Leon, California became the first state to enact legislation to launch a new kind of affordable, portable savings vehicle. The law created a board, which ordered a market analysis and a feasibility study, both finalized last year. De León, 50, traveled to Washington with State Treasurer John Chiang to make sure California was in compliance with federal regulations. Another big victory has been acceptance of the new plan by employer and insurance industry groups. Though Governor Jerry Brown’s impending lame-duck status makes the ambitious pro tempore all the more powerful, de León’s signature legislation is facing pushback from the new powers in Washington. — Frances Denmark

 
The 2017 Pension Political Power 25

1. Andy Puzder Secretary of Labor 2. Bruce Rauner Governor of Illinois 3. Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education Podcast: Opportunistic and Distressed Debt Investing: The Strategies, Stories, and Intricacies Sponsored by Fidelity Investments May 22, 2025 4. Laura & John Arnold Founders, Laura and John Arnold Foundation 5. Steven Mnuchin Secretary of the Treasury

6. Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce 7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye California Chief Justice 8. Paul Ryan Speaker of the House 9. Anthony Scaramucci Founder, SkyBridge Capital 10. Kevin de León California State Senator and President Pro Tempore

11. Mike Enzi Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security 12. Steve Sweeney President, New Jersey State Senate 13. Jerry Brown Governor of California 14. Corey Lewandowski Co-founder, Avenue Strategies 15. Paul Singer President, Elliott Management Corp.

16. Randel Johnson Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 17. Joe Manchin U.S. Senator 18. Kenneth Feinberg Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen 19. Scott Walker Governor of Wisconsin 20. Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO

21. Mike Rawlings Mayor of Dallas 22. Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senator 23. Kent Mason Partner, Davis & Harman 24. Bernie Sanders U.S. Senator 25. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers