The Loma Prietan
Octiber 2001
Chapter Lobbies in Sacramento
by Karen Maki
Have you ever wanted to make a difference? A group of us from the Loma Prieta Chapter did just that. On August 27th, four members of our Chapter asked our Assemblyman to vote “yes” on SB 540. This bill will give rural counties the right to appeal clear-cut timber harvest plan decisions to State Board of Forestry. Two days later, Assemblyman Joe Simitian
voted to pass it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee to the Assembly floor for a vote.
Here’s how it came to pass. In August, Sierra Club California held their first Lobby Day in a couple of years. Many chapters participated, including about
40 volunteer activists total. Eight of the participants (Liz Haenel, Bob Groff, Will Broset, Julia Bott, Dan Kalb, Rafael Reyes, Gary Bailey, Karen Maki) were from our Chapter.
On Sunday afternoon, we gathered in Sierra Club California’s Sacramento office, one block from the capital building. Sierra Club lobbyists and issue experts explained the legislative process, the critical bills
we would be lobbying for or against,
and coached us on how to approach the legislators.
Timing is critical. Bills must pass by September 15th or wait till next year. To effectively lobby, one must know where the bill is in the legislative process and what legislators are involved and how. In general, bills are introduced in either house in spring and go to the relevant committee(s) for review. If they pass the committee(s) and the bill will cost money, it goes to that house’s Appropriations Committee. If it passes all these committees, it goes to the originating house floor for a vote. If it passes, the process is repeated in the second house. If both houses pass similar but different bills, they must be reconciled. A bill can be amended or killed anywhere along the way.
In the case of SB 540, it had been introduced in and passed by the Senate, been introduced into the Assembly, passed by the first committee, but had failed the first vote in the House Appropriations Committee. However, one Assemblyman who had initially abstained breathed new life into the bill by asking for a revote.
The Sierra Club staff briefed us on legislation regarding forestry, energy, endangered species, and water quality. Besides SB 540, which was sponsored by the Sierra Club and authored and introduced by Senator Byron Sher, the Sierra Club has sponsored another forestry bill, SB 234 (Board of Forestry Composition Change). SB 234 has passed the Senate and is currently on the Assembly floor.
With regard to energy, the Sierra Club is supporting SB 532, which was introduced by Byron Sher. SB 532 has already passed out of the Senate. Many of us had lobbied for it early in the day and then were fortunate to observe the Assembly Natural Resources Committee in action. The public testified for and against the bill. Senator Sher responded to questions
and accepted two amendments to his bill. Initially, there were not enough votes. However, in our debriefing session, we were told that more Assembly committee members had been located and the bill had passed out of committee.
It had been a very productive day.
SB 532 had cleared one hurtle. We had showed our representatives that there really are 23,000 Loma Prieta Chapter members and constituents out there who care about how they vote.
Back at home, I vowed to continue providing input to my representatives by reporting to chapter members about the bills and lobbying, monitoring how my legislators are doing on environmental issues, calling or visiting the district office to voice my opinion, participating in the Sierra Club’s endorsement process, and helping endorsed candidates win their campaign.