Nunez to join consulting firm
Former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez of Los Angeles has found a new job: He will become the Democratic face in California of a Republican-dominated consulting firm, Mercury Public Affairs, after being forced by term limits to leave the Legislature at the end of this month.
After six years in the Legislature, including four as Assembly leader, Nunez suggested in a letter to supporters that he would be a valuable asset for clients who deal with state government.
“As I prepare to leave office, it is becoming increasingly clear that what is best about the Legislature are the people you work with and the relationships you build,” he wrote.
His new firm has offices nationwide and is run in Sacramento by Republicans tied to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a consistent Nunez ally. Steve Schmidt, its chief in California, was the consultant at the helm of John McCain’s losing presidential campaign and Schwarzenegger’s successful reelection in 2006.
Adam Mendelsohn, another partner, is the governor’s former communications director. Mercury’s top echelon also features former corporate executives and onetime advisers to former Republican Gov. George Pataki of New York.
-- Michael Rothfeld
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