STATE NEWS
From the Capitol
Association President Adam Weinberger, right, speaks with California Congressman John Garamendi (CD8) on issues important to CSEA members.
CSEA Leads Successful 2024 Lobby Days in D.C. and Sacramento
By Cassie Mancini and Aaron Latham
April was a month of concerted lobbying efforts by CSEA members in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. Board members, committee members and staff descended on the two capitol cities to advocate for classified employees in meetings with lawmakers and policy advisors.
Board members represent in D.C.
CSEA’s top leaders, PACE Committee Chair John Sullivan and CSEA staff filled two days of lobbying in our nation’s capitol with 21 meetings with members of the White House Domestic Policy Council, members of congress from both sides of the aisle, and federal agency representatives.
“The fact that doors were opened for CSEA from the White House to congressional offices is a testament to our union’s strength and reputation of leadership. Decision makers in D.C. know they can trust and collaborate with CSEA on issues that improve our schools and our members’ lives,” said Association President Adam Weinberger.
CSEA’s top federal issues this year include:
- Expanding federal support for universal free school meals;
- Fully funding Congress’ commitment to cover 40% of special education costs;
- Increasing funding for the Clean School Bus Program, modifying the criteria to discontinue the scrapping requirement, and restrict funding to only public entities, not private for-profit businesses;
- Increasing training and resources for staff safety on school sites, and;
- Narrowing eligibility for the federal RISE Award solely to rank-and-file classified employees and providing recognition on par with the national teacher of the year award.
CSEA’s delegation, led by Association President Weinberger, First Vice President Letetsia A. Fox, Second Vice President Jerry White, Secretary Josh Leimann, and Executive Director Keith Pace, also participated in coordinated lobbying with its partner unions of the United Classified School Employees, a national organization of classified employee unions.
CSEA leaders and staff meet with members of the White House Domestic Policy Council and representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Legislative and PACE Committees Lobby Sacramento
On April 15th and 16th, members of CSEA’s Legislative and PACE Committees gathered in Sacramento for training with CSEA’s Governmental Relations team and meetings with state legislators and their staff in support of CSEA’s sponsored bill and budget priorities. The lobby days took place during the height of the policy committee season, which posed its own challenges and opportunities.
On Monday, after refining their elevator pitches, committee members made their way to the Assembly Transportation Committee hearing to stand in solidarity with the Teamsters by lining up to speak in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 2286 (Aguiar-Curry), which would require a human safety operator for autonomous trucks and buses. Area D PACE committee member Gloria Huerta also spoke as a principal witness in support of AB 2583 (Berman) and shared her experience about how speeding in school zones impacts student and employee safety.
“I’m so proud that our committee members were able to make their voices heard in the legislative process through their advocacy before the Assembly Transportation Committee,” said PACE Committee Chair John Sullivan. “CSEA’s presence was noticed, and our collective voices made a difference.”
The next day, committee members divided into six lobbying teams to advocate in over 35 separate meetings with key state Assemblymembers, Senators, and their staff. The PACE and Legislative Committees expertly navigated a building jam-packed with many other advocacy groups lobbying that day, including our labor siblings at CTA and the California State University Employees Union.
“Our 2024 lobby day was a huge success,” noted Legislative Committee Chair Steve Lopez. “By and large, we received positive responses from legislators and staff to our bill and budget proposals, and both committees felt well prepared to be effective advocates for our members, our students, and our community.”
Legislative Committee Member Stephen Wells (left) and PACE Committee Member Michael Gandara (right) meeting with Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula (center)
Cassie Mancini is a Legislative Advocate in CSEA’s Governmental Relations Department.
Updates on CSEA-Sponsored Legislation
AB 2088
Status: Introduced on February 12. Passed Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee 5-2 on April 3. Passed Assembly Higher Education Committee 7-2 on April 23. Will be heard in Assembly Appropriations no later than May 17, 2024.
AB 2328
Status: Introduced on February 12. Passed Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee 5-0 on April 3. Held in Assembly Higher Education Committee at the request of both CSEA and the author.