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Gregory Hayes - Government Relations

Greg Hayes combines his political and business  background to provide advocacy and public affairs counsel for Fortune 500 companies and  leading voices in the technology sector doing  business in California. Before becoming an advocate for businesses on state and local  policy issues, Greg served as the communications director for then state Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), who later  served as Senate president pro tempore. He  helped direct office strategy and was the senator’s chief speechwriter penning op-eds printed in major publications across the  country. Greg also served as an energy advisor and was a key player in the development of  Proposition 39.

Prior to his work in the California Legislature, Greg co-founded a bioenergy company and held executive positions in the financial services industry. This work with startups gives Greg  insight into all aspects of business and the risks and challenges companies face. When  combined with his tenure in the California Legislator, Greg has the unique vantage point of  being able to translate how businesses can navigate government relations in Sacramento.

Greg’s diverse communications background includes serving as managing director for  international public relations firm Hill and Knowlton, senior account manager with the  Sacramento-based public relations and advertising firm Runyon Saltzman & Einhorn and as  a legislative aide and press secretary to four state senators in California.  

Greg currently serves as the managing director of the firm's Sacramento office, which has  more than doubled in size under his leadership.

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Change Is Possible

The New California Coalition is the non-partisan political home and voice for over 6.5 million “Common Sense” voters across California

We want results, and we are mobilizing to achieve them. The New California Coalition is organizing everyday voters, business leaders, and community organizations from across the state into a movement to demand change and action.

We want a massive amount of housing built to make homes accessible to buyers, renters, and the unhoused alike, not more excuses, red tape, and NIMBYism.

We want safe streets and communities instead of finger pointing, victim blaming, or hiding inaction behind empty and dangerous slogans.

We want clean and healthy public spaces that we can pass down to the next generation rather than complaining about or denying the damage being done. We want to build financial security through good paying jobs rather than blocking the industries that can transform our society and balloon the middle class.

We can have all of this and more if we organize for it now.

We are Californians from all different backgrounds – from business to workers, from disenchanted political organizers to unaffiliated and disaffected voters. We are ready to solve the most pressing challenges facing our state, but our first step is to create a political voice for this army of Common Sense Californians.

Common-sense

California's biggest challenges

Housing

Since 1980, housing construction has stalled in California but our population has exploded. Home buying is out of reach and rents are going up every year. We must ramp up home building to meet the needs of residents and bring down the cost of living.

200,000 built
2.5 million homes

Homelessness

California accounts for 28% of the country’s entire homeless population and more than 50% of the unsheltered homeless individuals. The homeless population in the Bay Area has grown four times faster than the overall regional population since 2010.

200,000 built
2.5 million homes

Crime

The homicide rate rate for some of California’s largest cities – Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco – increased by about 17% in 2021; and none of these even approach the overall per capita crime rates of places like Stockton, San Bernardino, Compton, and Richmond. Californians across the state report feeling unsafe as one of their biggest concerns and reasons why the Golden State is becoming increasingly unlivable.

Drought

Every year we see fires spread larger and watering restrictions become more severe, but the response to address climate change and resource consumption remains single minded and half hearted: consume less gas and use less water. California cannot survive without better water management and climate mitigation. From desalination to clean energy sources like solar, wind, green hydrogen, biomass, or geothermal – there are common sense solutions that already exist if our leaders invested in building rather than political jockeying and finger pointing.

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News

Bear Essentials October 25th: What’s Happening Across California This Week
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Bear Essentials October 18th: Did you see the sky?
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Bear Essentials October 12th: Some are winning, others losing
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From the valleys to the coasts, we're all trying to do our best and build stable lives for our families. What issues do you think must be fixed in your communities? Share your story.

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