This story is part of our November 2025 issue. To read the print version, click here.

Editor’s Note: Scott Thomas Anderson shadowed lobbyists from Pinnacle Advocacy during an afternoon at the state Capitol when lawmakers were trying to bring their hectic end of session to a close.

Rob Grossglauser is always stopping to shake hands when he strolls through the old, ornate halls of the state Capitol. And on this politically tense afternoon, as elected officials toil to bring the year’s legislative session to an end, he’s seeing exhausted expressions as he presses the flesh.

Grossglauser has worked inside this historic behemoth for 24 years. Throughout that time, he’s learned that being an effective advocate for clients is really about having a reputation lawmakers can trust. That confidence, in turn, is built on maintaining relationships through mutual respect, personal integrity and being a source of reliable information. Given the number of Assembly staffers and association heads reaching their hands out when Grossglauser strolls into the rotunda, one gets the impression such confidence follows him here in the bowels of California’s body politic.

Grossglauser is the founding partner of Pinnacle Advocacy. He doesn’t feel like whispering that, either. He tries to live his life and run his firm in a way that proves that not all lobbyists resemble the charismatic villains of Jason Reitman’s 2005 film about the tobacco industry “Thank You for Smoking.” Over the years, Grossglauser has championed the causes of military veterans, the rights of animals and the needs of professionals in county governments trying to balance budgets without diminishing services to the communities they work for. He might operate in the eye of a never-ending political hurricane over the fourth-largest economy in the world, but he’s pretty choosy about which boats he takes to sail into it.

Right now, Grossglauser and his coworker lobbyist Larisa Mercado, are making their way into the gallery above the Senate chamber. Down below, elected leaders are battling over Assembly Bill 495, known as the Family Preparedness Plan Act. The bill aims to create a new joint guardian process in California, so if undocumented parents are detained by the Immigration Enforcement Agency, or ICE, they can grant temporary custody of their kids to a non-family member.

The proposal has had strong support from pro-immigrant and family advocacy groups, but, as Grossglauser watches from the Neoclassic flourishes of the gallery, it’s clear that AB 495 faces resistance from some state senators who fear it could fuel child endangerment or add to the trafficking of minors.

A heated exchange is echoing from microphones rising off the elegant oak desks that span the chamber: It’s what insiders call a genuine “floor fight.” Grossglauser has been involved in plenty of them across two decades; and while he has worked on immigration issues in the past for the Catholic Church, he and Mercado aren’t directly involved in this increasingly snippy and accusatory melee. (Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 495 into law.)

Related: What Does a California Lobbyist Do?

Instead, they’re clocking which senators want to make speeches on this topic. That’s another important aspect of what Pinnacle does — understanding the priorities and hobby horses of elected officials on both sides of the aisle.

“We’re nonpartisan as a firm,” Grossglauser says. “When we’re mapping out a strategy for success, we have to take political dynamics into consideration. Our job isn’t just to represent our clients to the Capitol, but also the Capitol back to our clients.”

It’s not ‘House of Cards’

Grossglauser often says he fell into lobbying by accident. He was taking classes for pre-med during his senior year at UC Davis when a world-weary surgeon gave him some ominous advice. “He absolutely hated his job,” Grossglauser recalls, adding with a chuckle, “He basically scared me straight.”

Grossglauser, who was also studying political science, shifted towards applying for law school. He was soon on the path to earning a degree from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, though he needed an interim job to pay his bills in the meantime. An acquaintance helped him land an interview at a lobbying firm.

“I wasn’t really sure what lobbying even was,” Grossglauser says about accepting the position. “I had studied the federal process a bit, but it did seem to be a big mystery when it came to how folks engaged for public policy making.”

By the time Grossglauser earned his juris doctor at McGeorge, he’d come to realize how much lobbying spoke to the social side of his personality. He stuck with his firm and was made a partner within five years. After 15 years in the profession, Grossglauser became the founding partner of Pinnacle in 2016.

Mercado, on the other hand, had a more intentional journey into the field. Similar to Grossglauser, she’d been a political science major at UC Davis. Unlike her colleague, Mercado jumped into the trenches fast. She interned on former Assemblyman Dave Jones’ unsuccessful attorney general campaign when she was a freshman, ultimately grabbing a job at Kamala Harris’ Senate office in Sacramento.

Mercado also spent time shadowing lobbyist Steve Cruz of Cruz Strategies.

“I fell in love with it,” she admits. “It was pre-COVID, so it was the real lobbying in the Capitol. It was face-to-face. It was drop-ins. … My limited understanding of lobbying before I started was that companies and organizations hire you to be essentially their eyes and ears and their mouths to the legislators. Maybe a small part of my brain wondered if it was what people said it was, in terms of there being sleazy and sneaky parts. But really, it hasn’t been like that.”

“Your parents think you’re testifying in front of Congress, and your friends think you’re just out splashing the cash around and going to nice dinners, and the opposition thinks you’re beating up a baby seal. All the while, what you’re really doing is sitting in a committee hearing for hours. It’s really funny.”

— Rob Grossglauser, founder, Pinnacle Advocacy

Both Grossglauser and Mercado see the bulk of their work as influencing legislation they think is good for California, and doing that mainly by providing lawmakers with stats, facts and information. They each have a good sense of humor about what television dramas like “House of Cards” or suspense films like “Miss Sloane” have led the public to believe about their profession. Initially, Grossglauser came into the job wondering how often he’d have to wine-and-dine power players and learn Jedi-like tricks of persuasion. He says he’s been pleasantly surprised that, for the most part, the job is actually about winning legislative contests by showing up with the best data sets and testimonials. That’s partly why Grossglauser is always happy to demystify what lobbying is.

“I think a lot of policy makers are trying to make good policy decisions, and so are their staffs supporting them, and that’s what initially surprised the heck out of me,” he acknowledges. “You know, your parents think you’re testifying in front of Congress, and your friends think you’re just out splashing the cash around and going to nice dinners, and the opposition thinks you’re beating up a baby seal. All the while, what you’re really doing is sitting in a committee hearing for hours. It’s really funny.”

How the sausage gets made

The average Californian might not think about it, but they have multiple lobbyists working for them throughout the year. That happens via county governments, city halls and local school districts tapping advocacy firms to field and navigate legislation that could affect their constituents. It’s not just megacorporations and big tech employing these expert issue-handlers: Nonprofits and hundreds of professional associations across the Golden State rely on them, too. That means contract firms like Pinnacle can pick and choose who it works with. If a would-be client walks through the doors with a goal that doesn’t align with the values of its partners, they can simply pass on accepting them.

All of this is more personal to Grossglauser than one might think. He met his wife while working at the state Capitol. These days, now that his son has developed an interest in animal welfare, Grossglauser has been able to go home and talk about the work that he’s done on that front.

“We’ve lobbied on behalf of animal rights before,” he notes. “In fact, one of my favorite bills we’ve worked on, AB 44, banned the sale of new fur in California. I think we’re the best advocates when we stick to believing what we’re selling. If it’s something you’re passionate about, it comes through — that authentic self.”

One bill that Mercado just finished working on is Assembly Bill 1430, which is designed to generate more revenue for overwhelmed county recorders across the state while balancing this objective with sensitivity toward over-burned consumers. She’s been involved with that bill’s creation since October 2023.

“I think we’re the best advocates when we stick to believing what we’re selling. If it’s something you’re passionate about, it comes through — that authentic self.”

— Larisa Mercado, lobbyist, Pinnacle Advocacy

“As of right now, a lot of counties were running in the red because they’re in budget deficits, partly because of their base recording fee being so low, combined with inflation and the housing shortages,” Mercado explains. “So that was a win for us and the county recorders.”

In addition to its straightforward lobbying, Pinnacle also has a unique niche in Sacramento that involves helping private sector companies land contracts with the state government. Teri Bennett is one of the firm’s partners who specializes in that. She arrived at Pinnacle through a very different path than Grossglauser and Mercado. Bennett spent 37 years working in government before she ever got involved in professional advocacy. She started with the state as a technology worker and then went on to take various project management roles in departments that included education, veterans affairs, consumer affairs, CalPERS and the State Controller’s Office.

Having spent years receiving pitches from companies hoping to work with the California government, Bennett knows how to spot products and services that stand a good chance of making the state more efficient.

“We try to get our clients to be familiar with the strategies that these departments have, do their homework before they go in, and hopefully be able to address how they can meet the challenges in question,” Bennett says. “All of us who do this work are probably still public servants at heart. You can’t have spent that much time in government and not have loved it, for all its warts and everything else. So we really do try to make the best possible fit. At the end of the day, we want the best outcomes for all Californians.”

Related: From Lobbyist to Wellness Coach

That’s a broader ethos that Grossglauser thinks everyone at the firm can feel good about. But he also wants members of the public to understand they don’t have to be professional lobbyists or highly connected individuals to work on the same California issues that he and Mercado work on. When it comes to offering feedback, the Assembly and State Senate committee hearings are open to the public. Residents can also volunteer with different nonprofits and advocacy groups who work on legislation. Grossglauser may be a strong believer in the work Pinnacle does, but he also knows the process of making laws is often better when more voices are being heard.   

“I really like encouraging people to get involved in the process,” Grossglauser stresses. “The truth is you can impact your state if you have ideas. You just have to work and engage and find a creative way to do so sometimes.”

–

Stay up to date on business in the Capital Region: Subscribe to the Comstock’s newsletter today.