Attention CA Grassroots Activists

 

We are putting out a Call To Action for all of our California Grassroots Activists. 

We will be speaking in opposition to SJR 7

Although we applaud the legislator's belief in and understanding of the process for Article V, we oppose the substance of the call for this particular resolution. We ask those making their voice heard to be kind, polite & respectful when doing so.

We will not tolerate name-calling, slander, attacks on characters, threats, or angry violent behavior of any kind.

All of us acting in unison together can send a powerful message not just to our California legislature, but to the rest of the nation.

Your silence is complacency. Your tolerance is acceptance. The time is now to Reawaken the Sleeping Giant of We the People.

Purpose	The Senate Public Safety Committee will be hearing testimony on SJR 7 this Tuesday for a vote to pass it to the full Senate floor for a vote
SJR 7 - An Article V Resolution to call a convention on firearms	(a) Affirm that federal, state, and local governments may adopt public safety regulations limiting aspects of firearms acquisition, possession, public carry, and use by individuals, and that such regulations are consistent with the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and the understanding that throughout American history private individuals have possessed firearms for home defense, hunting, and recreational purposes;
	(b) Impose, as a matter of national policy, the following firearms regulations and prohibitions: (1) universal background checks as a prerequisite to purchase or acquisition of a firearm, (2) a prohibition on sales, loans, or other transfers of firearms to those under 21 years of age, subject to limited exceptions, (3) a minimum waiting period after the purchase or acquisition of a firearm before that firearm may be delivered to the buyer or acquirer, and (4) a prohibition on the private possession of assault weapons and other weapons of war;
When	Tuesday, August 22, @ 1:30 pm
Where	1021 O St, Room 2200, Sacramento, CA
Watch the Livestream	www.senate.ca.gov
Call To Action	Make your voice heard on your position for this resolution. Clicking the link below will take you to a page that makes contacting the Senate Public Safety Committee easy and effortless. If you can manage a trip to Sacramento, come and provide your testimony in person with some of our Convention of States California Team Leadership. If you can not be there in person, be sure to call into the hearing and provide live Teleconference Testimony. For more information contact our State Director, Kimberly Hogan at kimberly.hogan@cosaction.com For additional information and tips, continue on to the rest of this article.

The following instructions will help you

• participate in citizen activism

• testify before a CA Senate Committee in opposition to an important bill

• prepare for the process of testifying either in person or by teleconference.

 

YOUR WILLINGNESS MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR CA!

THANK YOU from Convention of States California Team

 

In Person 

When testifying before the committee

1. state your name
2. state the organization that you represent OR state that you are a concerned citizen
3. state where you live
4. start your testimony with: “I oppose SJR 7.” This enables the committee to analyze the number of Support and Oppose testimonies.

The Members of the committee are interested in what you have to say. Keep your testimony short and to the point. We are asking for brief, clear statements no longer than two-minutes; less than two minutes is good.

 

By Phone After Hours

Activists who would rather not speak to anyone may testify by phone to the Committee Member’s office after hours or over the weekend.

When the call is answered

1. state and spell your first and last name
2. state the city and zip code where you live (if desired, one may state their full voting address instead)
3. state the bill number SJR 7
4. state “I oppose the bill” or “I oppose SJR 7” before voicing your statement. This enables the committee to analyze the number of Support and Oppose testimonies.

 

Senator Aisha Wahab (Chair)

Capitol Office (916) 651-4410; Fremont Office (510) 794-3900

Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (Vice Chair)

Capitol Office (916) 651-4023; Redlands Office (909) 335-0271

Senator Steven Bradford

Capitol Office (916) 651-4035; Inglewood Office (310) 412-6120;

San Pedro Office (310) 514-8573

Senator Nancy Skinner

Capitol Office (916) 651-4009; Oakland Office (510) 286-1333

Senator Scott D. Wiener

Capitol Office; (916) 651-4011 San Francisco Office(415) 557-1300 

 

Testifying at the Teleconference

To ensure your testimony is heard clearly, prior to calling into the teleconference service, you must mute any devices you are using to live-stream the committee hearing. Please do not testify using speakerphone or Bluetooth which can cause acoustic feedback that prevents your testimony from being heard. 

1. All individuals providing public comment must find the participation number and access code on the committee website and write these numbers on a piece of paper to keep nearby (the Committee Chair will announce the numbers at the beginning of the hearing, also).
2. When you phone into the teleconference and enter the participation number and access code, your call will be placed in a “waiting room” where you will be muted but you can listen to the committee hearing as you wait.
3. If you are using another device to listen to the committee, you must mute that device while you wait to be called upon to testify
4. Listen through your phone and NOT through the live audio. The live audio feed will interfere with the teleconference audio because of a 40-second lag time
5. Listen carefully to the teleconference audio. When a member of the committee moves to the time for public comment on SJR 7, a moderator will ask those in the teleconference “waiting room” to press 1-0.
6. When you press 1-0 on your phone, you will wait again.
7. At some point an operator will speak to you, giving you a Line Number and putting you in the Queue.
8. Write or remember your Line Number. It is your identification number
9. The moderator will call out your number when it is your turn to testify
10. If you press 1-0 a second time, you will remove yourself from the queue and you will not be identified to testify. Every time you press 1-0 you either put yourself “In Queue” or take yourself “Out of Queue” so listen carefully, through your phone and press 1-0 only once when you are prompted by the moderator
11. If you should accidentally press 1-0 during a bill for which you do not want to testify, you can press 1-0 again. This takes you out of that Queue and places you back in the “waiting room” where you can wait for the correct bill to be announced and press 1-0 at that time, putting you back into the Queue to receive a new Line Number from the operator
12. When you are successfully in the Queue, with your assigned Line Number, the moderator will identify you individually, open your line, and at that time you may address the committee.
13. You must have your own phone unmuted or the committee will not be able to hear you. 
14. If you were not able to testify, please submit your comments or suggestions, in writing, to the Committee or visit the Committee’s website. Your comments and suggestions are important to the committee. The committee members want to include your testimony in the official hearing records. It is important that they hear from you. 

We thank you for your patience! We appreciate your participation!

 

Teleconference Quick Tips

1. Call the toll-free number and enter the access code
2. You will enter the 'waiting room' where you can listen but will be muted
3. Mute the device on which you are watching the committee hearing 
4. Listen to the committee hearing using your phone only
5. When prompted for your position on the bill key in 1-0 (one time only)
6. Be patient and an operator will give you a line number, there can be a short wait
7. Once you receive your line number, you are now in the queue
8. Wait in the queue, the moderator will call your line number and unmute you
9. You are now ready to address the committee

 

Position Letters 

When submitting a letter you must clearly state one of the following positions in order to be reflected in the analysis:

1. Support
2. Support if amended
3. Oppose
4. Oppose unless amended
5. Any other positions of concern will be filed with the committee but will not be reflected in the analysis. Please be sure to state your position and the measure number, SJR 7, clearly. 

It is not the policy of the committee to make sure your letters get to all the members of the committee. You are encouraged to hand deliver or mail your letter to each member individually. Please see the “Member Roster” on the Senate Public Safety Committee  home page.

There are several ways you can submit a letter.

1. Hand-delivered to the committee office - Legislative Office Building, 1020 N Street Rm. 545, Sacramento, CA 95814
2. Fax - 916-445-4688
3. Mail - Senate Public Safety Committee, Legislative Office Building, 1020 N Street Rm. 545, Sacramento, CA 95814