The San Jose Branch held a Public Policy/Advocacy meeting on April 17, 2024 to launch their 2024 One Person/One Bill program. This is an annual program that the San Jose Branch has been running for the last five years.

Prior to the meeting, members were asked to review the AAUW California 2024 Legislative Agenda to understand each of the bills and which AAUW California Public Policy Priority it supports. At the meeting, they took turns choosing bills and interested participants selected 1-5 bills to support. New participants were allowed to choose first.

In the following weeks, members will contact the office of their bill’s author. They will ask the lead staffer of the bill if a sample or template letter or fact sheet is available, and where to send a letter of support. The letter of support is written from the AAUW San Jose Branch to the chair of the committee currently considering the bill and sent through the legislative portal or directly to the lead staffer.

Sometimes, members establish ongoing communication with legislative staff or a coalition lead supporting a particular bill. In that case, AAUW San Jose writes letters to other committees considering the bill or the Governor as requested. Occasionally, the branch will end up submitting testimony in Sacramento or participating in a rally in support of a bill.

The One Person/One Bill program is one of the most popular and highly anticipated programs in the San Jose Branch, and it is off to another great start this year.