June 19, 2016
I stayed up too late again last night. I was glued to CSPAN, watching uncharacteristically moving and eloquent oratory from the U.S. Senate.
When I tuned in, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut was in the 12th hour of a 14-hour filibuster to demand action on gun violence. By the time the filibuster was over, Murphy and 40 other U.S. Senators had forced the Senate leadership to agree to bring to a vote two commonsense measures on gun control.
As the filibuster wore on, and the speeches became more intense, Twitter was on fire. Everyone, it seemed, was watching and commenting via social media.
It was like one giant national town hall meeting.
It was democracy in action.
It was inspiring.
It demonstrated that dedicated elected leaders, backed by regular Americans all over the country, can still overcome big bucks from special interests who are focused on overriding the public good.
It prompted me to realize that the most important thing I can do today is ask you to reach out to your legislators when they come home for their summer break in July.
You may have heard me say this before, and I continue to believe it is true: Legislators care what the folks at home think. Hearing from you will make a difference in how they act when they come back in August to vote on a passel of bills.
On July 1, the legislature will break for a month for summer recess. Like a lot of other people, legislators typically use part of that recess to get away for a vacation. But they also use part of it to talk to people in the home district.
You need to be one of those people they talk to. And when they talk to you, you need to tell them that you want them to vote with the environment when they go back to Sacramento.
How do you get to talk to your legislators?
We have a page on our website about in-district visits and have posted a document that walks you through how to meet with a legislator, from doing background research to actually setting the appointment, meeting, and then sending a post-meeting thank-you note.
We’ve also posted on our website a list of the most interesting bills we’re following at the legislature and our position on those bills and their status. Pick out one or two of the bills on that list that you’re most interested in and ask your legislators to vote with the Club.
Or, if you’re feeling bold, ask them if they accept campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. If they do, ask them to stop. If they don’t, thank them.
Calendars are already filling up, so don’t delay in calling your legislators’ local offices to ask for an appointment to meet.
Sometimes you’ll find you’re too late; the calendar is full. If that happens, local district staff will usually be willing to meet. Local staff are often very knowledgeable about issues and will report your position back to the legislator.
I’m hoping you’ll find your legislators are as eloquent about the importance of fighting climate change, conserving water, preserving forests, advancing clean energy, pushing better transit options, pressing for cleaner fuels and protecting wildlife as Senator Murphy was about ending gun violence.
I’m hoping you’ll leave the meetings feeling good about your legislators.
I’m hoping you’ll leave feeling inspired.
Let me know how the meetings go.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Phillips
Director
Sierra Club California is the Sacramento-based legislative and regulatory advocacy arm of the 13 California chapters of the Sierra Club.
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