![Cara Jenkins, a graduate of the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law, serves as the state’s legislative counsel. Her office reviews every bill that goes through the state legislature. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/final-2028.png?1713196186)
Legal Lions
Between the state Capitol, a federal courthouse and two top-ranked law schools, the Capital Region is a formidable hub for the legal industry
Between schools like McGeorge and UC Davis School of Law, as well as an array of respected firms, the state Capitol and various courts including a federal courthouse, the Sacramento region is a strong draw for the legal industry.
![Cindy Worthington and Ed Rapp, here with their miniature pinscher Cherry Pie, lost their home in the 2015 Lake County fire. They bought a 1,150-square-foot cabin in the village of Pioneer in Amador County but now pay $7,800 a year for homeowners insurance. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/cabin-insurance-couple_2024_03_19_fg24015.png?1712353102)
The Soaring Cost of Homeowners Insurance
High prices and carriers leaving the state send homeowners scrambling to protect their homes
California’s insurance crisis is damaging the housing market and more. Will legislators fix it before the next big blaze?
![(Photos by Susan Maxwell Skinner)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/2022_bald_fly_4110rz.png?1711745143)
Fly Like an Eagle
The UC Davis California Raptor Center and the Department of Defense are teaming up to create the next generation of unmanned aircraft technology
The new center will utilize motion capture and photogrammetry — which uses photography to determine the distance between objects — to image birds in flight and create 3D models of the wing shapes that will help design uncrewed aerial systems, or UAS.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0324-startup-lead-template.png?1711123097)
Startup of the Month: Inspirame
College and career navigation platform aims to repair education pipeline
In 2019, CEO Maria Medrano co-founded the equity-driven startup Inspirame to repair these critical gaps in college enrollment and workforce development.
![(Photo by Glynns Thomas)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/rachel.png?1710517856)
Women in Leadership: Rachel Zillner
Our annual salute to women at the top of their field
She’s the self-described “girl who fixes broken things.” As the CEO and co-founder of Clutch, Rachel Zillner oversees a fast-growing business consulting firm that helps organizations fix what’s broken. It’s a skill she learned early.
![(Photo by Glynns Thomas)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/michelle.png?1710374036)
Women in Leadership: Michelle Willard
Our annual salute to women at the top of their field
Michelle Willard has always been a hard worker. From a young age, she saw the effort put in by her mother, an executive in New York City, and her father, an international salesman, to succeed in the corporate world.
Sponsored
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mac0108-edit-edit_edit_revised.jpg?1709677831)
CASBO
DRIVING THE BUSINESS SIDE OF CALIFORNIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
As CEO of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), Tatia Davenport brings her relentless quest for improvement, her innovative mindset, and her profound ability to inspire and mobilize people to transform education and drive results with her team to support the organization’s members and the students they serve.
Sponsored
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_9443.jpg?1709666504)
KIDSFIRST
CARING FOR TEAM MEMBERS, CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
KidsFirst, a family resource and counseling center with Roseville and Auburn offices, provides life-changing services and programs to all of Placer County. Founded in 1989, this nonprofit organization has served more than 100,000 families, making an enormous impact on the mental health needs of clients from every walk of life.
Sponsored
![Pictured [L-R]: Erika Hermosilo, Chief Program Officer, Stockton Scholars and Stockton Service Corps; Gaby Carmona, Executive Assistant, Reinvent Stockton Foundation; Claudia Haro, Director of Operations, Reinvent Stockton Foundation; Sabrena Hernandez, Communications Manager, Reinvent Stockton Foundation; Sylvia Gillies, Associate Director of Postsecondary Access and Completion, Stockton Scholars](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_nz92728-february_20_2024_luminarneo-edit_1.jpg?1709663176)
REINVENT STOCKTON FOUNDATION
PUTTING COMMUNITY FIRST
Reinvent Stockton Foundation (RSF) aims to reinvent the city by expanding opportunities for students pursuing higher education by building hope and attracting resources and investments to the area. The organization partners with local nonprofit groups that align with that mission, vision, and values.
![(Shutterstock image)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/education_illustration_1.png?1708722667)
The Kids Aren’t Alright
California students suffered learning and other losses during the pandemic
Statewide, students lost four months of math progress and a month in reading progress between the start of the pandemic and the end of 2022. Has that picture improved?