Thank you to the hundreds of people who made calls to members of the Assembly Committee on Local Government over the last two weeks. We jammed up the legislative phone lines in Sacramento and definitely made our presence - and our dissatisfaction with SB-556 - known!
During the hearing on Wednesday, many members echoed our talking points and expressed serious concerns about the bill, including the fact that it does nothing to address the digital divide. At the request of several committee members, Senator Dodd of Napa promised he would make amendments to the bill, but we doubt that the amendments Senator Dodd needs to make will pass muster with his corporate sponsors, and thus, the bill could very well die. Fingers crossed!
Our next big chance to stop SB-556 will be on Wednesday, July 7th, when the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance will vote on the bill to decide whether or not it should proceed to the Assembly floor. Please remember, SB-556 has not been enacted into law! There are still more chances for us to defeat the bill, and if we can keep our grassroots momentum going, we can beat the telecoms!
Here are 3 things you can do to help us prepare for July 7th:
1. Donate! Please consider donating to help us keep the fight alive in Sacramento. Our fundraising goal for the month of July is $10,000. We are still $7,000 short of meeting that goal. 2. Make calls to members of the Communications and Conveyance Committee. Please see the list of phone numbers below and a sample script. If you are calling after normal business hours, please leave a voicemail. All calls are logged! 3. Encourage your local elected officials to write letters to members of the Communications and Conveyance Committee in opposition to SB-556. If you need guidance completing this suggested action item, please email us here.
California Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance: Miguel Santiago (Chairman) 916-319-2053 Jim Patterson (Vice Chair) 916-319-2023 Tasha Boerner Horvath 916-319-2076 Isaac Bryan 916-319-2054 Sabrina Cervantes 916-319-2060 Laurie Davies 916-319-2073 Eduardo Garcia 916-319-2056 Chris Holden 916-319-2041 Evan Low 916-319-2028 Sharon Quirk-Silva 916-319-2065 Freddie Rodriguez 916-319-2052 Suzette Martinez Valladares 916-319-2038 Akilah Weber 916-319-2079
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Sample SB-556 Caller Script:
Hi there, My name is _______ and I am a California resident. I am calling today to express my strong opposition to SB-556. SB-556 further undermines local control over the siting of wireless telecommunications equipment in public rights-of-way, does nothing to address the digital divide, and tips the scale in favor of telecom corporations' interests over community interests. Please log my opposition to this bill. Thank you!
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