February is TAKE ACTION Month: Week 1 – Forging Legislative Relationships

By Morgan Leskody posted 6 days ago

Like

It’s going to be a busy legislative and regulatory season again in 2026. Specific issues such as CARB’s Advanced Clean Fleet Rules and legislation related to governance, public works, and infrastructure will be critical for CSDA members, while broader legislative priorities around local control, protecting local revenue, housing infrastructure, and public funding will be important to all special districts and the communities they serve.

CSDA will be leading the charge on these issues, and competition for the attention of legislators and policymakers is going to as challenging as ever – especially in an election year. That’s why it is so vital for special districts to get engaged, and Take Action at the local level. The media, your local government representatives, and our state leaders need to hear from you, as well as your stakeholders and even your customers, to better understand the important roles special districts play in California’s economy and quality of life.

Throughout Take Action Month, CSDA will be sharing tools, resources and guidance to help your special district Take Action that can have a meaningful impact on our shared policy goals. Check your inbox every Tuesday – your CSDA eNews will bring you information and resources every week on how to:

Request and hold productive meetings with your legislators
Take positions for or against legislation
Up your earned media game
Mobilize grassroots supporters, stakeholders and allies to help support or oppose legislation

To get started, visit our Take Action Toolkit where you’ll find resources and a preview of what’s to come. CSDA members are also invited to view these webinars in our CSDA Library:

Special districts address California’s biggest challenges every day and provide highly specialized services to virtually every Californian. Our elected leaders, our media, and our communities need to hear our story. Let’s Take Action together.

Week One: Forge Stronger Relationships with Elected Representatives

The more familiar your special district’s legislators are with your agency, the better the chance that they will understand and prioritize the needs of special districts when making decisions. This requires more than “contact,” it requires “relationships.”

So, how do you forge a stronger connection?

First, you need to know who represents you. You can find your state representatives with an online tool here, and your Congressional representatives through a similar tool here. You can also take a look at the legislative maps available online.
From there, it’s not enough just to know their names, you need to understand your legislators. Learn about their priorities - what are their key issues and how does your agency (or your agency’s needs) fit in with those? Find out what committees they sit on, read their biographies, subscribe to their newsletters, follow them on social media and attend their town hall meetings or open houses. (All this information is usually available online at the member’s website). The idea is to learn about the issues important to them and the communities they represent. This info can help you find areas of common interest or areas where they might welcome your expertise.
Eventually (and sooner is better than later) you’ll want to have a meeting to get to know the legislator personally, put a face to the name of your special district and make your relationship more meaningful. It’s best if you can do this before you need to ask them for their support on an issue or a bill, but that may not always be feasible. Just know that a face-to-face meeting is the most effective way to cultivate a relationship, so you should endeavor to meet with your legislators at least once a year – in addition to seeing them at community events in the region.

Meetings can be scheduled at the legislators’ Capitol or District office, or virtually, or for maximum impact you can invite them to your office/facility for a site tour. When you’re ready, visit our Take Action Toolkit to find a sample meeting request letter, tips and tricks to get the most out of your meeting, and a template follow up/thank you letter for after the meeting.

Importantly, when requesting meetings: Your legislator may have a staff member present, or may ask you to meet with a staff member who specializes in your area of interest instead. Meetings with staffers can be just as productive and positive as meeting with the legislator. Be gracious and accept the meeting with staff as an opportunity to meet with the person who the legislator will turn to for a recommendation on the topic. Your willingness to be flexible may also be helpful in securing future meetings.

Finally, don’t overlook the importance of asking your legislators this question: “How can we help you?” It’s important to demonstrate that the relationship you want to have with them is a two-way street.

Want to learn more? Check out these webinars in our CSDA resource library for CSDA members:

And, be sure to register for Special Districts Legislative Days April 7-8 in Sacramento!

Special districts are addressing California’s biggest challenges every day. They are the backbone of California’s economy and infrastructure, and provide highly specialized services to virtually every Californian. Our elected leaders, our media, and our communities need to hear our story.