CSAC Participates in NACo Lobby Effort
Hill Visits Highlight Annual Trip to DC to Lobby Congress
The National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference brought more than 2,000 county officials from across the country into Washington DC this week to focus on legislative issues facing county government. CSAC Leadership played an important role in the face-to-face lobbying effort. Our Officers, Executive Director and key people from the Legislative Team spent the past several days visiting many members of the California congressional delegation.
“We work hard to build and maintain good relationships with our two U.S. Senators and California’s members in the House of Representatives,” said CSAC President Vito Chiesa. “There are a lot of different points of view on the big national issues, but when it comes to local issues like Payment in Lieu of Taxes, funding transportation infrastructure and managing the drought in California we can usually find some common ground. The solutions aren’t always easy but at least we know they’re listening.”
“Just like State Legislators in Sacramento, California’s congressional delegation is genuinely interested in what we have to offer,” said CSAC Executive Director Matt Cate. We don’t always agree on how to approach every issue, but many of them have also been local elected officials and they care about our perspective. They want to know what’s important to us and why.”
The “hill visits” may not lead to immediate results, but they do make a difference. “This kind of contact with Members of Congress lays the ground work for our ongoing efforts with their staff down the line,” said CSAC Legislative Director DeAnn Baker. “Especially with newer members in the House we have to make sure they know what our issues are before we can start working on solutions.”