Guest post by Alex Silva, Climate Communications & Media Assistant at 350PDX
February Action Night welcomed Jacqui Treiger, Senior Campaign Manager for Oregon Environmental Council, and Joseph Santos-Lyons, Chief of Staff for Senator Pham.
At the start of the evening, reps from each of 350PDX’s advocacy teams (fossil fuel, forest defense, and climate policy) spoke about their work and proposed bills for this legislative session.
Next, Jacqui Trieger and Joseph Santos-Lyons spoke about the state legislature and state advocacy, focusing on equity and the climate.
Joseph Santos-Lyons gave helpful advice to those starting out in legislative advocacy:
Before going to lobby visits:
- Show up to town hall meetings!
- Make yourself known! Staff takes note of who attends.
- Ask for a meeting with your representatives and provide notes in advance.
- There is “no need to overwhelm legislators”.
- Due to short meeting times, it is best to meet with legislators with few attendees.
- Split up your group among meeting times!
- Call and email multiple times; persistence is key.
- Specify whether you want a response from your reps.
- Be willing to meet with staff and not just legislators
Thank you to those who were able to attend! We appreciate your passion and support.
