With more than 40 years’ executive experience in state and local government, Steve Coony is a respected leader in California public policy. He is known for his ability to bring divergent interests together to resolve contentious issues.

Before joining the firm, Steve was chief deputy state treasurer. He also served as chief deputy attorney general and chief of staff to the leader of the state senate.

Steve’s public service career began in 1969, when he became a county welfare worker and union shop steward. He joined the union’s staff in 1972, becoming the union’s general manager and chief negotiator five years later. In the process, Steve built one of the nation’s largest public employee unions.

In 1983, Steve returned to public service, joining the staff of California’s State Senate President Pro Tempore David Roberti. He later became chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Lockyer.

As chief deputy attorney general, Steve managed innovation and investment in new technology. This included a massive scientific and technological scale-up in the use of DNA evidence to solve violent crimes as well as improvements in instantaneous fingerprint recognition and other identification techniques to prevent and prosecute violent crime and identity theft.

In 2007, Steve was appointed chief deputy treasurer by California Treasurer Bill Lockyer. He designed and carried out a strategy that protected the state’s financial assets and credit rating, while financing the greatest expansion of infrastructure investment in California history. This was accomplished during the worst economic recession and state government revenue crisis since the Great Depression.

No stranger to the use of electoral campaign tools, Steve works effectively with most of California’s diverse and often competing policy and political interests, including the business, labor, finance, technology, infrastructure, health and education communities.