John Valencia is the President of Valencia Government Relations, Inc., a leading California government relations and legislative advocacy firm. He has been a California state-registered lobbyist for over 32 years and actively lobbies the California Legislature on critical business-impact issues for industries ranging from telecommunications and data management to biotechnology, with an emphasis on health care issues.

Additionally, he lobbies state agencies on the full scope of their regulatory responsibilities, including, among others, the state Department of Health Care Services (Medi-Cal), the California Department of Public Health and their supervising, cabinet-level agency, the California Health and Human Services Agency. He has an established record of successful advocacy before the state Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) which regulates health plans active in the state, as well as the Department of Insurance which regulates a smaller, minority of health insurance carriers in the state and the dominant general commercial insurance and life insurance business sectors.

The regulatory and professional licensing activity of nearly 40 state agencies governing professional services in California are a focal point of Mr. Valencia’s advocacy efforts. Whether the subject is accountancy, architecture, automotive repair and new auto dealer activity, or cannabis control, building contractors, or the professional health care services of optometrists, physicians, pharmacists and the range of allied health professions, Mr. Valencia has represented clients in connection with these entities.

For over three decades, Mr. Valencia has served as counsel for many of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies, and the emerging biopharmaceutical, research tools, medical device and next-generation clinical diagnostics and genomics sectors. Mr. Valencia leads his firm’s political law practice ensuring client compliance with the state”s intricate Political Reform Act.

He is a member of the CA Political Attorneys Association, and serves on the board of California”s Institute of Government Advocates. He presently serves as a Board Director, and Audit Committee Chair, for the California Prison Health Care Receivership Corporation, and is a VSP Global Public Policy Committee Advisory Member.