State Advocacy Committee
EVI members are thankful to live in majority blue California, but we recognize that California is not always as progressive as the rest of the nation often depicts it. As in other states, special interests such as police unions, utility companies, and big tech firms have a large influence in California and often inhibit our state’s progress. One recent example of this was the 2020 passage of Prop 22, which allowed big tech companies such as Uber and Lyft to fund their way out of complying with state law and take advantage of their employees by not offering mandated employee benefits. As we believe in the old saying, “As California goes, so goes the nation,” and California’s ability to influence the progress of the rest of the country, EVI is committed to working against special interests in the state and holding our state’s largely Democratic government accountable to our progressive values, just as we do on the national and local levels.
In 2021, EVI restructured the state advocacy committee and committed to ensuring that California lives up to its progressive aura. The committee first voted on three areas of focus, climate, housing, and criminal justice and civil rights protections, which it drew from the priorities of EVI’s larger membership, and pledged to focus on fighting for racial justice and equity within each. Once the committee identified its focus areas, it then turned its efforts on pushing for progressive state legislation within each of the focus areas in partnership with Indivisible CA: State Strong, a coalition of Indivisible groups up and down the state, and other progressive ally organizations such as the ACLU. And, in its first year, the committee counted multiple successes.
One example of the committee’s success was its work to help persuade EVI’s state Assemblymembers to vote in favor of SB 2, the Kenneth Ross, Jr. Police Decertification Act of 2021, a bill that will create a statewide decertification process for police officers who commit misconduct. Working in partnership with the ACLU and EVI’s neighboring Indivisible organization, Northridge Indivisible, the state advocacy committee held meetings with our Assemblymembers and their offices to vocalize EVI’s expectation that they vote yes on SB 2. As the committee was working against the powerful police union lobby, there was no guarantee that its efforts would help persuade our Assemblymembers to vote yes on SB 2, but the committee did not give up and kept up the pressure. When the Assembly voted on SB 2, the committee was excited to learn that both of EVI’s Assemblymembers voted yes on the bill, and SB 2 passed the Assembly and was signed into law. The ACLU thanked the EVI state advocacy committee for its work to help pass the law.
Now that it has established strong relationships with many of EVI’s state legislators and several progressive allies, the EVI state advocacy committee is well poised to continue its fight for progressive values in California. As it turns its focus to the state legislative session in 2022, the committee is focused on advocating for the passage of both existing and new progressive legislative ideas in the state. And, the committee is eager to welcome the voices of EVi’s new members to its work! All EVI members are welcome to join the committee and can do so by emailing info@eastvalleyindivisibles.com with their interest. The expectation is that state advocacy committee members will contribute no more than a few hours of volunteering to the committee each week so the commitment is a small one, and committee members do not need any prior experience in state advocacy. So, what are you waiting for? Help EVI’s state advocacy committee keep California on a progressive path and join us!