What a great day it was for Convention of States California on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. I always get excited when we have the opportunity to get the team together face-to-face.
There’s nothing like coming together with a group of like-minded people that you rarely see yet work with every day towards the same goal. Days like Lobby Day really are the ties that bind.
With the help of Senator Brian Jones, CA Senate District 38, Heather Koszka (Sen. Jones’s staff), as well as Aly Puccetti, from the Rules Committee Staff, we were able to secure the Eureka Room inside the capitol building this year.
This allowed us to have the opportunity to meet with our team and volunteers from across the state in a more private and intimate setting. Not to mention, it kept us out of the wind.
Thank you, Senator Jones!
Lobby Day is the day each state team across the nation heads to their state capitols to lobby their legislators for support of our resolution when it comes before them for a vote.
We prepare packages of information for each of our 120 state legislators. This year that happened to include:
- the COS Pocket Guide,
- a handout prepared by our Legislative Liaison Rick Heiler,
- a list of petitions for their districts,
- and handwritten letters.
It is when the grassroots are active and engaged in contacting their legislators, joining us at the capitol on Lobby Day, and voicing their support that we are the most successful. Your participation is the key to success!
What were some highlights from the event?
The event kicked off with a visit from Senator Brian Jones. He popped in to make sure everyone had left the pitchforks at home, say hello, share his thoughts, and answer some questions from the audience.
Next up was Ginny Rapini, National Grassroots Director for Convention of States. She shared her personal story of fighting an overreaching IRS. Basically, she fought the law, and this time the law didn’t win!
She stressed the importance of not giving up. With courage, persistence, and pushing back when an overreaching federal government pushes you, the little guy can and will come out on top.
We then heard from State Director Kimberly Hogan, as she gave the group instruction on how we were distributing the legislator’s information. Joanne Martin, Regional Director of the Western States, assisted in a role-play of what to say when you first enter the office.
Before we could grab the packets and run, State Grassroots Coordinator Jim Darcey and State Communications Coordinator Dean Henderson presented Kimberly with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, their way of thanking her for her contributions to the California team. It was a truly touching moment.
With that, our team and volunteers from across the Golden State (some traveling from as far as San Diego), grabbed a stack of packets and headed off to storm the halls on a mission.
Prior to Lobby Day, our team had scheduled as many meetings with state legislators as we could possibly get for the big day. Our General Counsel, Robert Kelly, flew up from Southern California to participate as a constituent in addition to his role with Convention of States.
His efforts were key to assisting us with attending those meetings, providing his expert opinion, and answering questions from our legislators.
Robert Kelly is fearless. The schedule of legislative meetings that were set for him that day was brutal. Back-to-back meetings were scheduled 30 minutes apart. He handled it like it was a walk in the park. Amazing.
Robert was joined by a number of volunteers and our Legislative Liaison in each of the meetings he attended and had a great time being part of the California team for the day.
With all 120 packets of legislator information delivered, all of our legislative meetings attended, business cards collected, and no pitchfork incidents, California’s Lobby Day 2020 was a complete success!
The team is looking forward to next year’s Lobby Day when we gather together again and repeat the process. You can be part of next year’s action. Reach out to the state leadership team and ask how you can be a part of history in the making.
