More about CLCV: Member Action Campaigns and Green California

Two of the ways CLCV helps legislators become environmental champions--with the invaluable participation of nearly 30,000 members statewide--are our Member Action Campaign (MAC) and Green California programs.

MAC Calls: Connecting you with Sacramento in real time

Our Member Action Campaign connects members with their elected officials in real time, to influence environmental policy. Here is how MAC works:

1. CLCV political staff provides up-to-the-minute intelligence about high priority bills that need a few more votes to pass
2. We alert members in districts with swing-voting legislators so that public pressure can be directed to the right targets
3. We directly connect members to their legislators' offices through our phone lines
4. Concentrated calls from constituents provide immediate, focused input
5. Legislators cast pro-environmental votes

More about the MAC program.

The MAC program takes advantage of the fact that legislators and other decision makers give great weight to their constituents’ opinions; a small number of phone calls is extrapolated to represent many voices.

Directing a steady stream of phone calls to carefully selected elected officials has been a repeatedly successful technique to convince legislators to vote for environmental bills.

In true grassroots style, CLCV members help pass laws through their participation in the MAC program. It is the concern and willingness of members to take action that continues to keep environmental protection at the forefront of California politics.

In 2009, its seventh year of existence, the MAC program helped connect CLCV members to Sacramento at critical points in the legislative session, facilitating instant public feedback when it was most needed and most effective.

More than 600 times, we directly transferred members to their legislators and the governor’s office, helping pass strong environmental bills into law.

Green California: for better environmental coordination

The CLCV Education Fund leads Green California, a convening program that strengthens strategic coordination among environmental lobbyists working on state policy in Sacramento.

Launched in 2006, Green California is a network of over 60 environmental, public health, and environmental justice organizations throughout the state that have joined to communicate the environmental community’s priorities to the legislature. Collectively, over 1 million Californians belong to the groups represented in Green California.

We continue to refine our process for identifying key bills at strategic times during the legislative session. Green California sends out floor alerts at key legislative deadlines; since 2008, Green California has sent out weekly “Hot Lists” throughout the session, making sure our high-priority bills have front-of-mind status with legislators.

Initially formed in response to legislators’ requests for a more coordinated effort from environmental groups in Sacramento, Green California is now established as a resource and “go-to” entity for both legislators and environmental groups.