Fabiani became Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley's chief of staff in 1989. The LA Times reported that friends and rivals alike described Fabiani, who was 32 years old at the time, as a "boy wonder" within the Los Angeles political scene. The Los Angeles Times also reported that Fabiani received credit for restoring the Mayor's popularity, which had previously been at an all-time low. Prior to his appointment as chief of staff, Fabiani had served as legal advisor to the mayor since 1985.
In 1989, Fabiani was also appointed Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles. During that period, he managed the political strategy and media relations of the Office of the Mayor, and was involved in preparing and negotiating the city's $3.9 billion annual budget. Fabiani's tenure coincided with reform efforts at the Los Angeles Police Department, and it was during this time that police chiefDaryl Gates agreed to resign over concerns raised about the LAPD in the wake of the Rodney King beating, including allegations of mismanagement and racism in the department.
White House legal spokesman and special counsel to President Clinton
From 1994 through 1996, Fabiani was special counsel to President Bill Clinton. He provided legal and political counsel to the President and First Lady of the United States on various controversies of the era, including Whitewater, the White House travel office, and campaign fundraising. It was during this time that Newsweek called him and his now-business partner Chris Lehane the "Masters of Disaster" owing to their quick-response media strategy.
Deputy campaign manager for communications and strategy, "Gore for President 2000" campaign
In June 2000, Vice President Al Gore asked Fabiani to serve as the deputy campaign manager for communications and strategy for the "Gore for President 2000" campaign. During the campaign, Fabiani coordinated the campaign's media and communications daily tactics and overall strategy, and was the campaign's chief spokesperson. Fabiani was also involved in the aftermath of the Florida election recount.
Strategic communications
Fabiani and business partner Chris Lehane founded the strategic communications firm Fabiani & Lehane in 2001. The California-based company specializes in crisis management, image management, and strategic guidance for public companies, trade groups, and political candidates. In addition to its headquarters in San Francisco, Fabiani & Lehane has offices in Los Angeles and San Diego. In 2010, Lance Armstrong announced that he had hired Fabiani to help manage fallout from doping allegations against the cyclist. In 2017, Fox News Channel lead anchor Bill O'Reilly hired Fabiani as O'Reilly faced fallout from multiple charges of sexual harassment on the job, settlements paid to five accusers by Fox and a new complaint from Wendy Walsh, a former guest on O'Reilly's show.
San Diego Chargers
Fabiani has served as special counsel to San Diego Chargers president Dean Spanos since 2002. Fabiani was paid millions to be involved with the team's failed attempts to replace Qualcomm Stadium with a state-of-the-art facility, which would have been largely publicly financed.
