Ladycrim Goes to Lobby Day
Ever since the bridge protest last October, I’ve become fairly active in the campaign to defeat - and now to repeal - Proposition 8. So when I found out about a Lobby Day happening in Sacramento on February 17, I decided to attend.
Since my dad lives in Rocklin, about 30 minutes north of Sac, I drove up there the day before to stay the night. Despite that, traffic and rain meant it still took me an hour to get downtown the next morning.
I walked through the downpour to the Crest Theatre, where everyone was meeting up. To my surprise and delight, one of the first people I saw was my friend Dan-o from my Rocky Horror cast. He and I hung out together for much of the day.
It was quickly apparent that the day would not go as scheduled. The ongoing budget crisis meant most of the Senators and Assembly members would be unable to meet with us personally. We’d be talking to many of their top aides, though, which was nearly as good.
Then we received good news: the Assembly Judiciary Committee would be holding a hearing at 10:30 that morning on AR 5, a resolution that called for Proposition 8 to be repealed because putting it on the ballot was improper procedure*. An identical resolution, SR 7, will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee next week.
(*Explanation: The root of this argument lies in whether Prop 8 is an amendment or a revision to the State Constitution. An amendment adds to the Constitution without changing its underlying principles, and can be decided by a simple majority ballot vote. A revision changes those principles, and needs to be approved by 2/3 of the Senate and Assembly before being placed on the ballot. Since Prop 8 took away rights that were already guaranteed, the AR 5/SR 7 proponents feel it is a revision and therefore should have been subject to a Congressional vote before being placed on the ballot.)
We gathered our stuff and walked the block to the State Capitol. Mercifully, the rain was down to a light drizzle as we walked up the sloped path to the entrance and waited in the long line at the security checkpoint. Then it was off to another line as we waited to enter the hearing room.
There were so many people wanting to get in (mostly from our Lobbying group) that Dan-o and I got nowhere near the doors before the room was at capacity. We were sent upstairs to a small committee room to watch the proceedings on TV. This may have been a good thing, though. The spectators in the hearing room were required to sit quietly; no applauding or otherwise reacting to the speakers. Our group, however, was free to react vocally - and we did!
You can see the hearing in its entirety at: http://www.calchannel.com/channel/viewVideo/97, but I have summarized it below.
Assemblyman Mark Feuer brought the hearing to order at precisely 10:30. They called the roll to determine a quorum, and then Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, AR-5’s author, came forward to speak. His speech was eloquent, calling Prop 8 “a radical and unprecedented change to the California Constitution that puts all Californians at risk” and pointing out that it undermines the very purpose of the Constitution - to protect the rights of all people.
After Assemblyman Ammiano, three more people spoke in favor of AR-5: Geoff Kors, Executive Director of Equality California (Lobby Day’s primary sponsor); Dolores Huerta, a highly respected labor leader and co-founder with Cesar Chavez of United Farm Workers; and Shannon Minter, Legal Counsel for National Center for Lesbian Rights.
There was only one official speaker against it: Karen England with Capitol Resource Family Impact. Her argument was, quite frankly, mind-boggling. She defined equal protection: “that laws be applied regardless of an individual’s characteristics or situation, just as justice is administered blindly” - then proceeded to claim Prop 8 “applies the definition of marriage equally” and called it “the perfect example of a law that applies equally to all citizens”. She further claimed it “places restriction of marriage on all citizens equally. Just as homosexuals may not marry, heterosexuals may not engage in polygamous relationships.” I’m quoting her extensively (using the video to ensure accuracy) because it really must be read to be believed. I can only assume her rationalization for this is: “Well, any man can only marry one woman regardless of his orientation, and any woman can only marry one man. Therefore everyone’s being treated equally!” You have to wonder if she considers love a part of marriage.
After she finished, the floor was opened up to spectators to have their say, 20 minutes per side. The Pro group had moving stories of the importance of family and equal rights. Gloria Allred spoke briefly. Pastor Art Cribbs from L.A. County delivered a very powerful speech, saying in part: “People across this state were misled in believing that somehow our rights were jeopardized because loving couples desired fidelity, commitment and marriage”. Our little viewing room group applauded him loudly when he was done. (I later found him and complimented him on his speech.) Another pastor talked about how happy and proud she was to conduct same-sex marriages in her church - not at all “forced” to do it, as proponents of Prop 8 claimed would happen. The daughter of San Diego’s Republican mayor was there to offer support on his behalf. The stories they and the other speakers all told were powerful and poignant.
Then, it was time for the Con group to have their say. The majority of them repeated a mantra - “Respect the will of the people”. One woman stated, “Last time, the vote was 62% in favor. This time, it’s 52%. What does that mean for next time?” (Our viewing room, in unison: “42%!”) Another woman complained, “I think we were hoodwinked. The Pro side has folders and buttons. We didn’t know about this until yesterday!” Well, whose fault is it your side wasn’t prepared, lady? A third woman pushed her 11-year-old daughter up to the mic to speak. Poor kid.
Last to speak was a pastor from Salinas. If Karen England was mind-boggling, this guy was downright offensive, using the old “slippery slope” argument. “I hope no-one here is pedophobic. That is a minority that is also being denied certain rights. But the law says no, they can’t do that. But in the future - maybe 10 years from now - that will be lawful and legal also.” Yeah, he compared homosexuals to pedophiles. What a charmer.
After that, a few members of the Judiciary Committee spoke, and then they voted. We all held our breath …
It passed, 7-3! (Split down party lines.) Now, as I understand things, it will be presented to the general Assembly.
We left the viewing room and went downstairs to return to the Crest. We found ourselves in the Capitol rotunda, where there was a huge crowd of press, people waving state flags, and surf music playing. What was going on? “Look,” Dan-o pointed. In the midst of the throng, we saw the Governator himself. He was standing in front of a backdrop of a license plate that said “California HERO”. We had no idea what was going on. (I found out today that it was the end of a ceremony honoring Capt. Chelsey Sullenberger.) We skirted the throng and went outside, where the rain had gotten harder.
We went back to the Crest, where Assemblyman Ammiano spoke to us briefly. We also heard from a Catholic priest whose diocese had released him from his post for speaking out against Prop 8. Then, after a quick training session, we broke into groups and went back to the Capitol to speak with our assigned legislators. The rain was now so heavy that the sloped path leading up to the entrance had become a small waterfall.
I was part of the group assigned to meet at 2:00 with Senator Mark Leno, who authored SR-7. Well, at least it would be easy! We ended up in the same room that I had watched the hearing in, and waited.
At 2:00, a distinguished-looking man entered. “Is this Senator Steinberg’s group?” he asked. Well, no, we told him. We were Senator Leno’s group. Uh-oh. There’d been a scheduling blunder somewhere. Senator Leno (or, more correctly, his aide) was actually going to be there at 3:00. This man was Dennis Mangers, Chief of Staff for Darrell Steinberg (and a former legislator himself). We weren’t sure where Steinberg’s group was.
Oh, well. Mangers was co-chair of the No on 8 Committee, so we certainly had plenty to talk about! We spent 45 minutes discussing how the original campaign could have been better, how to change the minds of the opposition, trying to keep legality separate from religion, etc.
Just before 3:00, we dispersed and I went downstairs to get lunch. Unfortunately, the Capitol Café was closed. Well, drat. I decided to spend my time more constructively by looking for other legislators to talk to. And why not start with the biggest one of all?
I found the Governor’s office down the hall. “Excuse me,” I said to the police officer guarding the door, “Is the Governor available to speak with a constituent?” I was turned down, of course, but hey - no harm in trying!
I went to the offices of my Assemblyman and Senator, but of course they were locked in the budget session. I finally gave up and walked back to the Crest for the 4:00 debriefing, passing by a woman who was shouting at the top of her lungs, “ARRRNOLD SCHWAAARZENEGGER! ARRRRRNOLD SCHWAAAAAZENEGGERRRRR! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW??” Yes, he probably could …
I gave my debrief, Dan-o and I compared notes, and then it was time to leave. I headed back to my car for what was to be a rainy 3-hour drive home.
Overall, I think it was a great day. I’m proud of my participation, and if there’s another lobby day that I can get off work for, I’ll be there again.
Since my dad lives in Rocklin, about 30 minutes north of Sac, I drove up there the day before to stay the night. Despite that, traffic and rain meant it still took me an hour to get downtown the next morning.
I walked through the downpour to the Crest Theatre, where everyone was meeting up. To my surprise and delight, one of the first people I saw was my friend Dan-o from my Rocky Horror cast. He and I hung out together for much of the day.
It was quickly apparent that the day would not go as scheduled. The ongoing budget crisis meant most of the Senators and Assembly members would be unable to meet with us personally. We’d be talking to many of their top aides, though, which was nearly as good.
Then we received good news: the Assembly Judiciary Committee would be holding a hearing at 10:30 that morning on AR 5, a resolution that called for Proposition 8 to be repealed because putting it on the ballot was improper procedure*. An identical resolution, SR 7, will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee next week.
(*Explanation: The root of this argument lies in whether Prop 8 is an amendment or a revision to the State Constitution. An amendment adds to the Constitution without changing its underlying principles, and can be decided by a simple majority ballot vote. A revision changes those principles, and needs to be approved by 2/3 of the Senate and Assembly before being placed on the ballot. Since Prop 8 took away rights that were already guaranteed, the AR 5/SR 7 proponents feel it is a revision and therefore should have been subject to a Congressional vote before being placed on the ballot.)
We gathered our stuff and walked the block to the State Capitol. Mercifully, the rain was down to a light drizzle as we walked up the sloped path to the entrance and waited in the long line at the security checkpoint. Then it was off to another line as we waited to enter the hearing room.
There were so many people wanting to get in (mostly from our Lobbying group) that Dan-o and I got nowhere near the doors before the room was at capacity. We were sent upstairs to a small committee room to watch the proceedings on TV. This may have been a good thing, though. The spectators in the hearing room were required to sit quietly; no applauding or otherwise reacting to the speakers. Our group, however, was free to react vocally - and we did!
You can see the hearing in its entirety at: http://www.calchannel.com/channel/viewVideo/97, but I have summarized it below.
Assemblyman Mark Feuer brought the hearing to order at precisely 10:30. They called the roll to determine a quorum, and then Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, AR-5’s author, came forward to speak. His speech was eloquent, calling Prop 8 “a radical and unprecedented change to the California Constitution that puts all Californians at risk” and pointing out that it undermines the very purpose of the Constitution - to protect the rights of all people.
After Assemblyman Ammiano, three more people spoke in favor of AR-5: Geoff Kors, Executive Director of Equality California (Lobby Day’s primary sponsor); Dolores Huerta, a highly respected labor leader and co-founder with Cesar Chavez of United Farm Workers; and Shannon Minter, Legal Counsel for National Center for Lesbian Rights.
There was only one official speaker against it: Karen England with Capitol Resource Family Impact. Her argument was, quite frankly, mind-boggling. She defined equal protection: “that laws be applied regardless of an individual’s characteristics or situation, just as justice is administered blindly” - then proceeded to claim Prop 8 “applies the definition of marriage equally” and called it “the perfect example of a law that applies equally to all citizens”. She further claimed it “places restriction of marriage on all citizens equally. Just as homosexuals may not marry, heterosexuals may not engage in polygamous relationships.” I’m quoting her extensively (using the video to ensure accuracy) because it really must be read to be believed. I can only assume her rationalization for this is: “Well, any man can only marry one woman regardless of his orientation, and any woman can only marry one man. Therefore everyone’s being treated equally!” You have to wonder if she considers love a part of marriage.
After she finished, the floor was opened up to spectators to have their say, 20 minutes per side. The Pro group had moving stories of the importance of family and equal rights. Gloria Allred spoke briefly. Pastor Art Cribbs from L.A. County delivered a very powerful speech, saying in part: “People across this state were misled in believing that somehow our rights were jeopardized because loving couples desired fidelity, commitment and marriage”. Our little viewing room group applauded him loudly when he was done. (I later found him and complimented him on his speech.) Another pastor talked about how happy and proud she was to conduct same-sex marriages in her church - not at all “forced” to do it, as proponents of Prop 8 claimed would happen. The daughter of San Diego’s Republican mayor was there to offer support on his behalf. The stories they and the other speakers all told were powerful and poignant.
Then, it was time for the Con group to have their say. The majority of them repeated a mantra - “Respect the will of the people”. One woman stated, “Last time, the vote was 62% in favor. This time, it’s 52%. What does that mean for next time?” (Our viewing room, in unison: “42%!”) Another woman complained, “I think we were hoodwinked. The Pro side has folders and buttons. We didn’t know about this until yesterday!” Well, whose fault is it your side wasn’t prepared, lady? A third woman pushed her 11-year-old daughter up to the mic to speak. Poor kid.
Last to speak was a pastor from Salinas. If Karen England was mind-boggling, this guy was downright offensive, using the old “slippery slope” argument. “I hope no-one here is pedophobic. That is a minority that is also being denied certain rights. But the law says no, they can’t do that. But in the future - maybe 10 years from now - that will be lawful and legal also.” Yeah, he compared homosexuals to pedophiles. What a charmer.
After that, a few members of the Judiciary Committee spoke, and then they voted. We all held our breath …
It passed, 7-3! (Split down party lines.) Now, as I understand things, it will be presented to the general Assembly.
We left the viewing room and went downstairs to return to the Crest. We found ourselves in the Capitol rotunda, where there was a huge crowd of press, people waving state flags, and surf music playing. What was going on? “Look,” Dan-o pointed. In the midst of the throng, we saw the Governator himself. He was standing in front of a backdrop of a license plate that said “California HERO”. We had no idea what was going on. (I found out today that it was the end of a ceremony honoring Capt. Chelsey Sullenberger.) We skirted the throng and went outside, where the rain had gotten harder.
We went back to the Crest, where Assemblyman Ammiano spoke to us briefly. We also heard from a Catholic priest whose diocese had released him from his post for speaking out against Prop 8. Then, after a quick training session, we broke into groups and went back to the Capitol to speak with our assigned legislators. The rain was now so heavy that the sloped path leading up to the entrance had become a small waterfall.
I was part of the group assigned to meet at 2:00 with Senator Mark Leno, who authored SR-7. Well, at least it would be easy! We ended up in the same room that I had watched the hearing in, and waited.
At 2:00, a distinguished-looking man entered. “Is this Senator Steinberg’s group?” he asked. Well, no, we told him. We were Senator Leno’s group. Uh-oh. There’d been a scheduling blunder somewhere. Senator Leno (or, more correctly, his aide) was actually going to be there at 3:00. This man was Dennis Mangers, Chief of Staff for Darrell Steinberg (and a former legislator himself). We weren’t sure where Steinberg’s group was.
Oh, well. Mangers was co-chair of the No on 8 Committee, so we certainly had plenty to talk about! We spent 45 minutes discussing how the original campaign could have been better, how to change the minds of the opposition, trying to keep legality separate from religion, etc.
Just before 3:00, we dispersed and I went downstairs to get lunch. Unfortunately, the Capitol Café was closed. Well, drat. I decided to spend my time more constructively by looking for other legislators to talk to. And why not start with the biggest one of all?
I found the Governor’s office down the hall. “Excuse me,” I said to the police officer guarding the door, “Is the Governor available to speak with a constituent?” I was turned down, of course, but hey - no harm in trying!
I went to the offices of my Assemblyman and Senator, but of course they were locked in the budget session. I finally gave up and walked back to the Crest for the 4:00 debriefing, passing by a woman who was shouting at the top of her lungs, “ARRRNOLD SCHWAAARZENEGGER! ARRRRRNOLD SCHWAAAAAZENEGGERRRRR! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW??” Yes, he probably could …
I gave my debrief, Dan-o and I compared notes, and then it was time to leave. I headed back to my car for what was to be a rainy 3-hour drive home.
Overall, I think it was a great day. I’m proud of my participation, and if there’s another lobby day that I can get off work for, I’ll be there again.