Clean water and air, fuel efficiency standards, EPA funding, protecting open space, banning dangerous pesticides, CLIMATE CHANGE… if any of these issues are important to you, now is the time to speak up and let your representatives know.
What’s the first step? Know who your elected officials are. Cocovote.us has information about all of our elected officials, including our local Contra Costa congressional representatives. You can also look up your local congressional representative by entering your zip code at the following site: http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep
Contact information for our California State Senators can be found here: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=CA
Next, do a little research about your representatives and plan what you want to say. Then, call your Representative’s office. Phone calls are said to be the most effective method of contacting representatives. As noted in a New York Times article, “a large volume of calls on an issue could bring an office to a halt, sometimes spurring the legislator to put out a statement on his or her position”. You can do a Google search for sample scripts online, but a former congressional staffer suggested that representatives and staffers want to hear the “individual impact of your individual story”. If you’re not comfortable calling just yet, mail a letter. Writing it out might also help you gather your thoughts, so you’ll be ready to make that phone call.
Attend local Town Hall events, and thoughtfully and concisely voice your concerns. You may have limited time to ask a question, so think it through and make it count! Most elected officials post their Town Hall events on their websites. For example, Representative DeSaulnier posted on his website that he is hosting a Joint Antioch Town Hall with Representative McNerny this Saturday. The following week, Representative DeSaulnier is hosting Town Hall events in Richmond (Tues, 4/11) and Lafayette (Wed, 4/12).
Let's get make sure our voices are heard this month! What environmental issues are important to you?
Resources:
USA Today “5 Ways to Contact Your Elected Officials and Make Your Voice Heard”
NY Times “Here’s Why You Should Call, Not Email, Your Legislators”
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