is one of the premier lobbying firms in Sacramento.
Delaney Hunter and Will Gonzalez
Delaney Hunter
Managing Partner
A veteran of lobbying and managing the state’s legislative and regulatory landscape, Delaney Hunter’s background includes more than 20 years of experience in political and governmental work in the state. Ms. Hunter is a leading expert in the energy arena with extensive experience working not only in the Legislature but also with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Resources Board (CARB) and in the transit and transportation arena as well.
She began her political career in 1993 in the office of Senator Bill Leonard, staffing the Senator on energy and transportation related issues. She served as the sole Senate Republican staff to the historic conference committee on AB 1890 (Brulte) which restructured California’s energy industry and worked in concert with district staff on the completion of State Route 30 (now 210) and the completion of the Caltran’s District 8 headquarters in San Bernardino.
After five years with Leonard – spanning his time in the Senate and as Assembly Republican Leader – Ms. Hunter served as Legislative Director for the lobbying firm of Smith & Kempton/Smith, Kempton & Watts/Smith, Watts & Company (now known as Smith, Watts & Martinez, LLC). During her six year tenure with the firm she focused on energy, air quality, local government, transit and transportation related issues, working with over 20 different private sector and public agency clients and she assisted the firm’s clients with countless pieces of legislation ranging from transportation and transit funding to the fallout from California’s energy crisis.
In March 2005, she was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger as the Director, Office of Governmental Affairs for the California Public Utilities Commission. In this capacity she was responsible for managing the Commission’s legislative agenda and political negotiations on key policies relative to energy, telecommunications, water, rail safety and other transportation related issues. Here she gained strong knowledge of investor owned utility issues both on energy as well as water. She oversaw the confirmation process for four of the Commissioners and played a key role in budget negotiations for the agency during her tenure.
Prior to co-founding GQHC, Ms. Hunter also served as a Principal with the Dewey Square Group for three years, launching their California lobbying practice and helping to expand the energy practice.
Ms. Hunter currently serves as a member of the advisory board to the Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and also on the board of California Women in Energy, a non-profit organization focused on providing career development, networking and educational opportunities for women professionals in energy.
McKinley Thompson-Morley
Principal
McKinley Thompson-Morley has over five years of experience working in state and local government affairs, policy and advocacy. McKinley’s experiences span a wide range of issues, including business continuity, privacy, sustainability, transportation, and energy.
Prior to joining Cal Advisors, McKinley represented Gap Inc. at the state and local level, developing internal advocacy strategy and providing policy analysis and government affairs across California, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee and Ohio. During her tenure at Gap Inc., McKinley secured policy wins related to textile recycling, organized retail crime, and workforce.
Before joining Gap Inc., McKinley spent several years in the state Senate, as a Senate Fellow and legislative staffer. During this time, McKinley developed a deep knowledge of the legislative process, stakeholders and key issues. She worked directly on policy related to local government, infrastructure, energy, transportation, housing and education.
McKinley was born and raised in the Sacramento area. She graduated phi beta kappa from San Diego State University and has a certificate in applied public policy from Sacramento State University.
Our Philosophy
Our clients can attest to the fact that California Advisors, LLC is strategic and innovative in its approach and that we tell our clients what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear.
We utilize a team-driven philosophy in which every lobbyist understands your needs and can utilize his or her own unique relationships and abilities to help you achieve your goals. This approach allows the members of our advocacy team to draw on their diverse, bipartisan backgrounds to achieve success for those we represent in Sacramento.
It is our view that working cooperatively with your team in the development of your key objectives will ensure that our team can exceed your expectations. Our goal is not to simply become your outside consultants; our goal is to become integral members of your team whose skillsets, combined with those of your staff, advance your mission.
