Baltazar Cornejo

Deep legislative expertise and bipartisan relationships. Successful track record on high-impact policy. Coalition builder with broad issue coverage and common-sense approach.

Baltazar Cornejo has deep expertise in California’s lawmaking process and experience managing high-pressure projects. He advances the legislative and regulatory priorities of public agencies, businesses, manufacturers, cannabis operators, nonprofits, and energy and transportation companies.

Known for his strong subject matter mastery and advocacy, Baltazar has worked extensively on state budget negotiations, climate emissions reporting, extended producer responsibility, PFAS, cannabis testing, veterans’ issues, intellectual and developmental disabilities services, among other issues. His time working with the state legislature gives him familiarity with the machinery of the lawmaking process, helping clients navigate bureaucratic hurdles by successfully anticipating staff needs and expectations from party leadership.

During his time at the state capitol, Baltazar was known for balancing party priorities, business interests and labor organizations. He successfully maneuvered many bills into law, including the creation of groundwater agencies, establishing provisional cannabis licenses, and revising state industrial hemp regulations to conform to the federal 2018 Farm Bill. Before joining the firm, he was most recently legislative director for then-Senate Republican Minority Leader Scott Wilk, building on his reputation as a trusted but effective political and policy operative among both parties.

In 2024, Baltazar successfully led a large stakeholder coalition of local public agencies and member associations to pass urgent legislation protecting agencies against Prop 218 litigation costs. He has also successfully halted adversarial legislation for industry clients, advocated for including clients’ priorities in the state budget and achieving favorable contract terms with the state government.

He is also fluent in Spanish.

Education

B.A., 2014, University of California, Merced

Memberships

Capital Fellows Alumni Association

Republican Staff Association

California Latino Capitol Association

Latino Community Roundtable Stanislaus County

Sigma Chi International Fraternity

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project
 

• Republican Lead for Legislative Day at the State Capitol
• Comcast Fellowship Mentor