Annual advocacy day will be virtual
More members can make their voices heard during 2021 Legislative Action Day
March 22, 2021
More members can make their voices heard during 2021 Legislative Action Day
After a year away, the ACSA Legislative Action Day returns in 2021 in a new virtual setting that will give more members more opportunities to interact with elected leaders.
ACSA’s advocacy on behalf of students and educators has only strengthened during the past year. In 2021, all members — at no cost — are invited to join Legislative Action Day to make their voices heard. The event’s two days of content include meetings with legislators, presentations and opportunities to network and learn to advocate for students in all 19 regions. Now more than ever, ACSA has the ears of the state and the governor’s administration.
“The virtual platform has opened up another dimension to our grassroots efforts — one that has allowed for greater inclusivity and participation of all stakeholders by increasing their access to our state leaders,” said Barbara Martinez, ACSA’s state vice president of legislative action.
Legislative Action Day kicks off at 9 a.m. Monday, April 12, with remarks from Martinez, Executive Director Wes Smith and Edgar Zazueta, senior director of policy and governmental relations. From there, members will have the opportunity to hear from state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond before learning advocacy tips from Kevin Gordon and Jack O’Connell from Capitol Advisors.
Following those presentations, Sen. John Laird and Sen. Connie Leyva will discuss their legislative priorities and answer questions from members. A panel of advocates from the ACSA Governmental Relations team will also answer questions about what they anticipate are the biggest education issues in the Legislature this year.
Throughout the day, ACSA’s Vice Presidents of Legislative Action from each region will meet with their representatives on their own. Space is limited, so VPLAs will invite individual members to these meetings.
Legislative Action Day resumes at 9 a.m. Tuesday and includes interviews with Assemblymember Kevin McCarty and Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, chair of the Assembly Education Committee. That will be followed by an “Advocacy Year in Review” video and a panel discussion with key staff from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration.
“Each year, over 400 of our members ascend on the Capitol to share their stories with legislators about how we can best serve our 6.2 million students,” Martinez said. “This year, we expect to exponentially increase attendance by our members.”
ACSA’s Legislative Action Day will take place April 12-13, 2021. Register for free at bit.ly/legactionday2021.