Mahan for Governor 2026

Who is who? Who does what?

Megan is our scheduler and the only person with edit power on Matt's calendar. She meets with Adrian regularly to review events to schedule.

Adrian is the only person who can approve putting new things on the calendar. He hears from team leads each week and decides how to allocate Matt's non-event time between call time (political and fundraising), media booking time, and policy prep time. He looks 1–2 months ahead to hold travel and event slots.

Gisella coordinates travel days, working with stakeholders to fill Matt's travel blocks.

Faye coordinates fundraising and political calls scheduled during call time.

What's the weekly cadence?

I want Matt's time for something. How do I get it scheduled?

Signal the request to Megan and Adrian. Megan will record it and discuss with Adrian at their next check-in.

I want future time slots to offer people. How?

Media (Todd, Tasha) and Fundraising (Celeste, Josiah) have separate weekly calls on Friday afternoons with Megan and Adrian. In these meetings, the groups look ahead to book slots that can be offered to donors or for media bookings.

How do travel days work?

How can I see the calendar?

Request from Megan to be shared on the calendarmahan@gmail.com calendar. This calendar includes all confirmed/held political engagements for Matt. It does not include his official city events (on his City Outlook calendar).

I need Matt to do something

Quick task (send one text, make one call): Ping Faye, his body person and call time manager. She'll add it to his punch list (which you can view live).

Needs his opinion or review of something long: Send to Adrian — he'll bring it up on their 9 PM calls (usually Sunday–Thursday).

I need something from Adrian

Adrian's email inbox is an absolute nightmare. Here's the priority order:

• Not urgent: Text on Signal (always preferred over iMessage)
• Quick response needed: Shoot him a note on Signal
• Really urgent: Call him — he's in meetings often but will return it ASAP

I need something from Storefront / Eric

Faye maintains a spreadsheet of outstanding asks with Storefront (linked in the shared folder). Before reaching out to Storefront, check the sheet first. For any new ask, Cc Faye and add your item to the spreadsheet to ensure no duplicates.

Asks for Andrew: Campaign technology and software, walk cards, design sets, website asks.

Asks for Eric: To spare Eric's inbox, send questions to Adrian. He meets with Eric twice daily (morning + night) and will get back to you ASAP.

I need to send out a mass email

Mass email capacity is fairly constrained. To preserve deliverability, use the tracking sheet in the shared drive to reserve your slots. Plan ahead for when you'll need capacity and let Adrian know.

If you need to bump someone else's reserved slot, let Adrian decide.

YAMM (Yet Another Mail Merge) has a daily send capacity of 400/account. Available accounts: info@mahan, matt@mahan, press@mahan, and in certain cases Matt's Gmail (get approval from Adrian; Faye can send it out).

Get Adrian's approval before sending any mass emails. If it's in Matt's voice, he will also need to approve it (Adrian will facilitate).

I need to send out a mass text

We just got access to our mass texting software — updates to come!

Sharing with the team / finding someone

Share with full team: Use the "Team Mahan" Signal chat for news articles/clips, exciting updates, or anything the whole team needs immediately (use discretion). Adrian will also send team-wide emails with resources and procedure updates.

Find someone: Check the staff directory for contact info and titles, or refer to the Team section below.

A news outlet is asking for a comment

In-person best practices: volunteers and event attendees should not interact with reporters, and there should be no media at fundraisers.

I was given an action item from call time

Diana will send action items via email or Notion, depending on your preference. She'll work with you to find the right system. Diana's internal tracking is Notion, but email-based action items and follow-ups are available.

I've been asked to produce a briefing document

Faye will reach out to you 48 hours before Matt has a meeting you have the most context on. You're responsible for submitting the briefing doc to her by the night before — before 7 PM is best so she has time to print at the office.

A template is available in the shared drive.

I booked Matt for something that needs prep time

The job is not done once the event is on the calendar. Work with Megan to find enough calendar time for prep:

• Most interviews: 20–30 minutes before
• Challenging interviews: Longer may be needed, or someone might need to call Matt while he's prepping
• Debates: A few hours beforehand, scheduled 24–48 hours before the event

Track the event as it gets closer and ensure prep is being lined up. If you're not the one prepping, pass it to the right person.

I need to buy something

All expenditures must be checked with Adrian beforehand. Some recurring expenses only need one-time approval.

Campaign debit cards are being issued to: Matt (candidate), Adrian (campaign manager), Eric M (compliance manager), and Faye (body person).

Two ways to buy after getting approved:

• Use your personal card and get reimbursed
• Reach out to Eric M to buy it with his campaign card

I need to be reimbursed

Email Eric M and include:

• Receipt or invoice for the purchase
• Date of purchase
• Reason for purchase — one sentence, one degree more detailed than "Campaign expense"

I need more people to help on a project

From another team: Confirm with their direct report (usually a team lead) before asking. The team lead has a better view of overall needs and capacity.

Hiring someone new: Confirm with Adrian that budget exists. Feel free to do the first phone screen yourself, then loop Adrian into the final conversation (he'll loop Eric for senior hires). Do not hire anyone without Adrian confirming budget and interviewing them.

Interns: Gisella coordinates our intern program and can allocate you additional support. Route all interns through Gisella for commitment contracts, etc.

I need a volunteer to help

Send a note to Francis and Cc Felipe describing the need. Francis will identify volunteers with capacity and good fit.

What are work expectations?

This is a special project we are, together, donating 4 months of our lives to — and we will never forget these 4 months!

Once the office space is set up: full-time, San Jose–based employees are expected to be in-office at least 5 days a week. For those commuting, individual arrangements will be discussed.

Time off

Text Adrian if you have any serious pre-existing commitments between now and June 2nd.

Then create a calendar invitation for the days you're out, titled "Name OOO", and invite: calendarmahan@gmail.com, rafizadeh.adrian@gmail.com, and your team lead.

Workplans & metrics

All staff members will have (or will receive) a monthly workplan spelling out objectives, measurable goals, and clear responsibilities.

Team leads meet with staff each week to review workplans and check on progress. On Wednesdays, team leads meet with Adrian to review a metrics dashboard (built by Kira) to stay focused on key metrics and accountability.

Onboarding new hires

New hires go through the following steps:

• Receive and sign a contract
• Referred to S.E. Owens for payroll setup
• Added to "Team Mahan" Signal chat
• Added to the shared drive
• Added to all-hands calendar invitation
• Reflected in the staff directory
• Bio, headshot, and title sent to full team
• @mahanforcalifornia.com email address set up

How teams work together