A Legislative and Regulatory Advocate with Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange since 2015, Michael Pimentel works on behalf of several of the firm’s transportation clients, particularly on issues related to public transit operations and sustainability. In 2021, he took the reins as Executive Director of the California Transit Association.

Prior to joining the firm, Michael held various appointed positions in the administration of Governor Jerry Brown, serving most recently as Senior Legislative Analyst at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. In this role, Michael developed and managed the Authority’s legislative program, advised its CEO on legislative and budgetary issues and developments, and served as the Authority’s primary liaison to the State Legislature, the California State Transportation Agency, and the Office of the Governor. Previously, Michael served as a Legislative Assistant in Governor Brown’s office.

Michael was also the Media Monitoring Coordinator for the Brown for Governor 2010 campaign and has held various research positions throughout his career, including for Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the World Resources Institute, and the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Michael received a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a fellow with the New Leaders Council in 2015 and now serves on the Advisory Board for the organization’s Sacramento chapter. He is an active member of the Young Professionals in Transportation – Sacramento.