How does the work of paid, legislative staff members differ from that of lobbyists?

What will be an ideal response?

Varies. Staff members who work on legislation are usually responsible for helping to draft bills, talk with stakeholders (people and entities affected by potential laws or changes to existing laws) and incorporate changes based on their concerns, analyze potential outcomes, estimate costs, and help build coalitions or support for bills by convincing others that the potential law (or changes to it) are necessary. These duties are almost identical to those performed by lobbyists, but the two groups differ in one major respect: lobbyists work for a client, usually a private interest with narrow "self-interested" goals, whereas a staff member is employed by the state of California and is hired to help a legislator serve the people of a district, and promote the public's interest over private ones. To do so, a staff member has greater incentives to construct a "bigger picture" by gathering more viewpoints and perspectives than might be presented by a lobbyist, who instead might be more inclined to provide a narrower frame (one that is most beneficial to his or her client) through which to view an issue.