Here’s what you can do to support the request for a 10% funding increase in California Regional Center operations and services that currently supports 270,000 individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Courtesy of The Arc California Action Alert
1. View the list of signers (www.LantermanCoalition.org) and see if your senator and/or assemblymember has signed. If you don’t know who they are, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, or how to contact them, go to TheArcCA.org/ and scroll down to the blue “Contact Your Legislators” button.
2. If your senator and/or assemblymember has signed the letter, contact them (or if you’ve already contacted them, contact the same person again). Calls and office visits are best, but please at least send an email. When you get a staff member, or if somehow you get a legislator, thank them for signing. But that’s not all – read on to step 4.
3. If they haven’t signed, contact them and ask them to. Calls and office visits are best, but please at least send an email. If somehow the person you’re talking to doesn’t know what you’re talking about, email them the URL of the letter. If they offer what they believe is a good reason for not signing (for example, the letter is addressed to them and they don’t sign letters to themselves), ask for their help anyway. Read on to step 4.
4. Tell them sincerely how saving our community services is important to you or someone you love. Then ask them to speak up for you and our community in the Democratic or Republican Caucus meetings that are coming up very soon. If you’re talking to a staffer, they’ll probably promise to pass your request on to their boss. Thank them for that, get their name and number, and tell them you’ll call back to get the legislator’s response; then call back next week, and keep calling until you get an answer. Treat it like a matter of life and death because, for some people, it is.
5. Forward this Action Alert to everyone you know who might care anywhere near as much as you do.
We know that the advocacy of people like you all over California works – it’s already got us almost half the Assembly and most of the Senate on the letter. Let’s take it over the finish line now.
Thank you for your advocacy.
Greg
Greg deGiere
Public Policy Director
The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration
1225 Eighth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814916-552-6619 x4