Special districts provide essential services to millions of Californians every day. It’s time for you to tell your story. The Capitol, the media, and most importantly, the community you serve should understand the difference your special district makes. Join us this month as we take action together!
Even in this age of instant virtual communication, legislators and their staff pay special attention to the mail they receive from their constituents. Not only are you a constituent yourself, but you and your district serve and represent hundreds or thousands of your legislator’s constituents. This means you, and by extension, your district’s letterhead, hold enormous influence and a high level of credibility to speak on behalf of your community and the many voters who live there.
The potential power behind your ability to advocate for yourself has become very clear during the pandemic. Last year, nearly 300 Special District Advocacy All-Stars responded to CSDA’s major Advocacy Alerts. Together, we successfully called on legislators and the governor to support COVID-19 relief funding for special districts and expressed support for AB 361 (Rivas) to allow public agencies to meet remotely.
In response to Advocacy Alerts, CSDA members can access sample letters or use CSDA’s Automated Form Letter system by visiting our Take Action page.
Submitting a letter of support or opposition for a specific piece of legislation is an easy and effective way to take action for your district. It is also the primary way you can participate in a CSDA Call to Action. Many offices will tag these letters and include them in the binder prepared for the legislator to take to committee or floor sessions.
You have the authority to lobby the State Legislature, other agencies, and individual decision-makers on legislation and other matters of interest to your district. With a letter from your district, you can encourage your legislators to support your district’s position.
To be able to effectively submit position letters in the fast-moving legislative environment, your district should adopt a legislative advocacy policy that governs its process for registering support or opposition on matters of interest.
Visit our Take Action Toolkit to find a sample policy for adopting positions on state legislation, a sample bill position letter, and a checklist for a successful bill position letter.
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