About Us

Principal and owner, Soyla Fernandez, founded Fernández Government Solutions in 2004 as the first, and perhaps still only, lobbying firm owned by a Latina in California. In 2023, Courtney Jensen and Kirk Kimmelshue joined Soyla as partners and the firm became Fernández Jensen Kimmelshue Government Affairs. The firm’s clients are public and private corporations, governing bodies, industry associations, and not-for-profit organizations in California. FJKGA provides full-service government relations and advocacy in Sacramento, through superior legislative, administrative, and regulatory advocacy, bill monitoring, state budget advocacy, public policy analysis, political consulting, and strategy development to clients. We take pride in finding seats at the table for our clients’ policy needs.

Professionals

“[Soyla Fernandez] has a very broad complement of heavyweight clients, including SoCal Edison, Anheuser Busch, Coca Cola, Accenture, 21st Century Alliance, the California Chamber of Commerce, Verizon, Sysco, the casino giant Graton and the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority to name just a few. Which explains how her firm is in the Top 20 of lobbyist billings again this year through the first quarter.” - Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 2023

“Soyla Fernandez, a leading Capitol lobbyist, has over 20 years of experience with California’s state and local legislative and policy issues, and heads one of the state’s most prominent Latina-owned and operated lobbying firms” - Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 2013

“Somehow, when the end of session comes around, Soyla Fernandez seems to be everywhere.” - Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 2010

Soyla Fernández founded Fernández Government Solutions in 2004 – now Fernández Jensen Kimmelshue Government Affairs. Her successful firm is experienced in the development of political and legislative strategies to implement effective advocacy programs for corporate and public sector clients. 

Prior to establishing her own firm, Soyla worked for Sacramento lobbying firm Manning Advocates. As an associate at Manning Advocates, she represented clients in a wider range of areas including water, energy, tribal compacts, and various issues related to land use and development. Noting an opportunity to launch her own business, Soyla has since worked tirelessly to grow her business and client base.

As a former consultant to the legislature and the executive branch, Soyla is knowledgeable in various political, policy, and budget issues. FJKGA’s success is due to Soyla’s previous solid legislative and executive branch experience – most notably with positions as a deputy director of the Assembly Budget Committee, senior budget consultant to former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, and as a Gubernatorial appointee with the formerly named Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. While in those positions, Soyla honed her political, policy, and budget insight in her preferred areas of transportation, communications, economic development, housing, information technology, social services, and immigration.

Soyla has been the lead lobbyist or consultant to almost 60 clients. FJKGA’s diverse client base spans local governments, public and private corporations, governing bodies, industry associations, and not-for-profit organizations in California and across the country. Soyla provides clients with comprehensive issue analysis, strategic planning, resource identification, as well as guidance on implementation. Ultimately, FJKGA helps clients frame the debate, forge broad-based coalitions, find creative solutions, and, above all else, achieve their strategic and policy objectives.

Soyla has become a powerful ally to clients and legislators in Sacramento and beyond. She has established strategic partners in Washington, DC, and Phoenix, AZ with firms that are specialists in public affairs, issues advocacy, and public relations. These additional partnerships greatly expand FJKGA’s national and regional advocacy outreach.

In addition to running her full-service lobbying firm, Soyla gives of her time and resources to local, regional, and national capacity building and philanthropic efforts. These include having served on the St. Hope Public Schools board helping to build Sacramento’s premier inner-city charter school. With a major focus on helping local families and students, Soyla funds and manages a family charity fund through the Sacramento Regional Community Foundation, making various contributions to worthy local efforts, including an annual holiday gift-giving project to farmworker families and a scholarship to graduating high school seniors in Colusa. Further, her firm has previously partnered with Sacramento’s Christo Rey High School’s work-study program to provide internship opportunities to their students. Students, primarily from low-income families, learned about the policy-making process, while at the same time gaining valuable work skills and habits. 

Soyla serves on the board of the Latino Leaders Network, a national organization aimed at bringing high-profile Latino leaders together for information sharing and networking. She also serves on the board of directors for WEAVE, helping to support their mission. She has also previously served on the board of Capital Public Radio, focused on capital development campaigns to expand the broadcaster’s capacity and reach.

Courtney joined the firm in 2021 with more than a decade of legislative, association, and campaign experience in California and the Southwest. She has worked on a range of complex policy areas and developed short and long term strategies to achieve success.

Prior to joining the firm, Courtney served as Executive Director for California and the Southwest for TechNet. Based in Sacramento, Courtney oversaw TechNet’s state advocacy and political activities in California, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. On behalf of TechNet’s approximately 80 member companies, she advocated before the state legislature and agency and administrative officials in the areas of privacy, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, telehealth, procurement, future of work, education, fintech, advanced energy, venture capital, e-commerce, and information technology. At TechNet, Courtney built and led coalitions, organized detailed and extensive lobby days, convened events, provided policy analysis, and interfaced with the media.

Courtney developed her expertise in banking and finance policy issues during her time at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues, while advocating for the association’s 300+ member credit unions. As Vice President of State Government Affairs, she represented credit unions on issues including lending, bankruptcy, privacy, cannabis banking, and taxes, before legislators, regulators, and executive branch officials in California and Nevada.

Prior to Courtney’s association lobbying experience, she served as Legislative Director to former California State Majority Leader Ian Calderon, focusing on banking and finance, insurance, business, education, and labor issues. She also focused on similar issues as a Legislative Aide to former California State Majority Leader Charles Calderon. While working in the Legislature she also gained experience staffing election campaigns for California assembly members and state senators.

Courtney is an active member of Capitol Network, an organization where women in the Capitol community gather to build professional connections and promote charitable giving to community organizations that support women and children. She served as President of Capitol Network from 2016-2017 and Treasurer in 2015. Under her leadership, she oversaw the organizations fundraising, charitable donations, mentorship program, events, finances, and membership recruitment. Courtney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Kirk Kimmelshue has more than a decade of lobbying and consulting experience for a wide variety of corporate interests in addition to direct legislative experience inside the State Capitol.

Prior to joining the firm in 2023, Kirk served as Region Vice President of State Government Affairs for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. where he advanced the company’s legislative agenda in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. Kirk established and executed the company’s policy objectives across the west coast and developed the company’s political efforts through direct candidate engagement and independent expenditure campaigns.

Kirk developed his expertise in the energy policy areas as a Representative of State Government Affairs for Chevron USA where he was instrumental in executing the company’s legislative and political strategy to positively impact their downstream business operations in California and throughout the West. He also helped develop Chevron’s executive engagement plan aimed at fostering relationships between Executives and California’s Legislative Leadership.

Inside the Capitol, Kirk served as Chief of Staff in the Assembly where he forged strong relationships with legislative leaders and staff on both sides of the aisle. As a staffer, Kirk was known as a hard charger, focused on driving his boss’ legislative priorities and solving complex legislative challenges. His work in the Legislature was focused on legislation with diverse stakeholder interests including legislation to ratify Tribal Compacts, local government budgetary funding, Internet Poker Regulation and the development of the 2014 Water Bond later passed by voters as Proposition 1.

Kirk has become a trusted resource for legislators and staff in the Capitol and is known for his positive outlook and belief that no challenge is too large to overcome and that no two sides are too far apart to sit down and find a pathway forward.

Kirk holds a Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Communications, with an Emphasis in Public Policy, from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Business, Concentration in Marketing and Policy, from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Legislative Advocate

Hector A. Fernández

Hector A. Fernández, legislative advocate, brings substantive experience in policy and program development in the areas of housing, community development and organizational capacity. As a district representative for then state Senator Jim Costa from the central San Joaquin Valley, focused on housing, community development, education and transportation issues. Worked for over 10 years in the nonprofit sector developing programs for farm worker housing and health, conducting research and advocacy on rural affordable housing.

Additional practical experience includes developing organizational capacity, funding strategies, strategic planning, community assessment and grassroots leadership development. 

Previously served on statewide boards including Housing California, Coalitions for Rural Housing, and the California Reinvestment Coalition. Currently serves on the board of directors of the California Institute for Rural Studies and a local nonprofit housing development corporation. 

OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERS

Fernández | Jensen | Kimmelshue Government Affairs has strategic partners in Washington, DC and Phoenix, Arizona. Our relationship with these firms greatly expands our national and regional advocacy outreach. Our Partners are specialists in public affairs, issue advocacy and public relations.