Educating Your State Legislators: A Model for Getting Your Issues Heard

1. Educating Your State Legislators: A Model for Getting Your Issues Heard Cecilia Portugal, H/LaTEN Roxanna Ursua Bautista, APITEN Claradina Toya, AITEN Rhonda West-Peters, AATEN Joint Ethnic Tobacco Education Networks of California

2. What We’ll Cover • JETEN - background and history • I & E vs. Lobbying • Organizing the visit • The actual visit • Challenges, triumphs, lessons learned

3. History & Background of Joint Ethnic Networks • Historically the tobacco industry has targeted ethnic communities (e.g. direct marketing, promotion and sponsorship) • Funded by Prop 99, California Department of Health Services,TCS • Founding of the four ethnic tobacco education Networks (1991-1994)

4. History & Background of Joint Ethnic Networks • In 1994, first Joint Ethnic Networks conference held “United Against Tobacco Abuse” • The first Information & Education (I & E) visits took place in Sacramento in 1994 • JETEN I & E legislative visits have taken place for 8 non-consecutive years

5. JETEN & Communities Work Together • Network structures differ for organizing purposes • Network membership = “the community” • Platform statements varied

6. Defining Advocacy • To advocate is to act in support of or defend a particular issue or cause. Advocacy is the process of standing up for what you believe in and influencing others to change the way they think and act about an issue.

7. De-mystifying Lobbying vs. Information & Education • Advocate (ad’ve-kat) n. 1. One who supports or defends a cause. 2. One who pleads on behalf of another. • Lobby (lob’e) n.1. A group of private persons trying to influence legislators. 2. Entry room of a building

8. DIRECT Communication Legislator Expressing a view About “specific legislation” GRASSROOTS Communication General Public Expressing a View About “specific legislation” “Call to Action” Differences between Direct & Grassroots Lobbying

9. Federal, state, local representatives & their staff President, governor, mayor or other executive officials who participate in legislation formulation & can influence legislation NOT legislators: school boards, planning & zoning commissions Who is a “legislator”?

10. What is “specific legislation”? • A bill • A proposed bill • A specific problem and a specific solution • NOT: regulations, enforcement of laws, Executive Orders, litigation

11. What is a “call to action”? • Tell people to contact legislators • Provide contact info of legislator • Provide mechanism to contact legislator (ex- postcards, petitions, letters) • Note: communication with members to encourage them to engage in direct lobbying is considered direct lobbying

12. Are 501(c)3 organizations allowed to lobby? Yes, within limits

13. Lobbying Policy (CA) Tobacco control programs do not and may not use Proposition 99 funds to support lobbying activities. Lobbying is the attempt to influence the outcome of a ballot measure or legislation by calling upon or urging a member of a legislative body or the public to vote yes or not on a specific measure or specific piece of legislation.

14. As a private citizen, you can: • Work on legislative issues during lunch hours or after work • In public, state explicitly that you are speaking as a private citizen* • Put bumper stickers on your personal car, even if it is used in business • Participate on your own time in other groups that actively discuss politics and issues &/or lobby in that group’s name

15. Development of Individual Advocacy Platforms • Discuss with Advisory Committees, subcommittees and partners • Prioritize key issues • Develop key objective and messages • Ensure platform can be supported by constituents of specific ethnic communities

16. Development of Joint Network Platform • Bring individual network platforms together and discuss commonalities • Categorize & prioritize common issues • Develop key objective and messages • Provide ethnic specific examples when delivering messages to legislators

17. Recruiting Constituents • JETEN Advisory Committee members • JETEN Key Network Members • Convener staff • Other collaborating organizations

18. Who to Contact • The Senate & the Assembly address issues and how the issues affect their districts. • Senate, 4yr term limit • Assembly, 2yr term limit • The reason for two distinct houses is for checks and balances. Legislation is required to pass both houses.

19. How to Reach Them • Senate: www.sen.ca.gov • Assembly: www.assembly.ca.gov • For both Websites look in “Find your District” • The phone book has the legislators’ contact information in it

20. Research your Legislator! • What issues do they support? • What bills have they introduced? • What committees do they sit on? • How have they voted in the past?

21. Contacting Legislators • When you call your representative, ask, “How can I make an appointment with Senator/Assemblyperson XYZ?” • You will be asked • if you are in their district, • what organization you are with, • and the topic you want to talk to them about. • You will be scheduled to either meet with the Assemblyperson/Senator or a Legislative Aide

22. Format for Schedule of Appointments

23. Coordinating Roster • The roster should be broken down into 15 minute intervals. • The Legislature works on a 9 am to 5 pm schedule. • Identify a team captain for each appointment. • The visitors should contain at least one constituent from the representative’s district.

24. Confirmed I & E Visit Roster Name in bold = Team Captain * = constituent (either live or work in the district)

25. The Two-Day Experience

26. Agenda • Day One • 10 am – 3 pm: Individual Network Mtgs. • 4 pm – 8 pm: Joint Training Session • Day Two • 7 am: Breakfast Rally • 8 am: To the Capitol!! • 5 pm: Wrap up/Debrief

27. Individual Network Meetings • Conduct network business • Discuss I & E visits • Review platform statements • Current bills of interest • What to expect

28. Joint Training Session • Update of current statistics from California State Tobacco Control Section • Overview of I & E visits • Objectives, why we’re here • Messages, platform statements • How politicians perceive issues, especially tobacco

29. Joint Training Session • Tips and techniques for effective communication to legislators • Open discussion/Q&A • Role playing exercises • Walk through the visit schedule • Meet other team members

30. Breakfast Rally • More time to network • Address any last questions/concerns • Group prayer/blessing • Send the troops on their way!

31. A Typical Appointment • Teams of 4, representing each network • Meet w/Legislator (if you’re lucky) or a staffer • 15 minutes to make your points • Respond to their questions • Offer to provide follow-up information • Thank you and goodbye

32. Information to Have On Hand • Platform statements • Fact sheets • District-specific information • Brochures about your organization(s) • Data about what your project has accomplished • Your contact information

33. Lessons Learned • Know your representatives prior to the Information & Education Visits • Speak in the language of legislators (e.g. a financial message) • Stay on message and be specific and concise • Provide connection of tobacco issues to legislator’s constituents and region

34. Future Plans for I&E • Build connections with legislators at the local level • Coordinate Local District Office visits following I and E visits at the Capital • Additional training, coordination and follow-up for Local District Office visits

35. Summary • A multicultural effort that can be duplicated in other states • Empowers Network members and community • Brings the Networks together with a united voice and a common goal! • Brings to light tobacco issues at the policy level

36. JETEN Debriefing

37. The Joint Ethnic Tobacco Education Networks of CA

38. How to Contact the Joint Ethnic Networks of California • African American Network Rhonda West-Peters, 916/448-7900 • American Indian Network Claradina Toya, 916/929-9761 • Asian & Pacific Islander Network Roxanna Ursua Bautista, 415/954-9961 • Hispanic/Latino Network, Cecilia Portugal, 626/457-6607

39. References • Multicultural Coalition Building: A Tobacco Control Coalition Case Study From the United States.Tanjasiri, P.S., Garbanati-Baezconde, L., Bell-Caffee, B., Hong, B.M., Martinez, T., Day, J. • Multicultural Consensus: A Key to Ethnic Representation to Policy Considerations. Hong, B.M., Garbanati-Baezconde, L., Bell-Caffee, B., Eilhardt C., Martinez, T. • Sustaining Community-Based Initiatives: Module Two- Communicating with Policy Makers. W.K. Kellogg Foundation