Making Progress And Your Role In It

"Shelling out that kind of cash isn’t reasonable for citizen groups, and frankly, it’s not the only way to make our voices heard."

High-powered and high-priced lobbyists make sure their clients have a say in what happens in Sacramento and in Congress. But shelling out that kind of cash isn’t reasonable for citizen groups, and frankly, it’s not the only way to make our voices heard.

For instance, our summer canvassers are able to make a difference with a little moxie and a clipboard.

This summer, hundreds of young people learned about our safe medicine campaign and headed out in teams to canvass for CALPIRG. They covered California from San Diego to Sacramento, ringing doorbells and engaging Californians in conversation about our state’s pressing problems. Equally important, they engaged people in conversation about solutions to those problems.

Because our canvassers meet supporters like you each year, we’re able to build a membership that has helped us pass the nation’s toughest financial privacy law, a slew of new identity theft protections, and a new law that reins in the drug companies’ most dubious marketing tactics, showering expensive meals and fancy gifts on doctors.

Further, we’ve sued pharmaceutical companies when we felt their business practices crossed not only ethical but legal lines. Making Progress And Your Role In It Shelling out that kind of cash isn’t reasonable for citizen groups, and frankly, it’s not the only way to make our voices heard.

And in Washington, D.C., we’ve repeatedly stood up to a Congress intent on rolling back consumer and environmental laws.

Most of these victories took a couple of years at best, even up to three or four, because powerful interests and their lobbyists in the Legislature successfully throw their weight around to block reforms, and because sometimes it takes even the best idea some time to gain traction.

For example, take this year’s Pharmaceutical Drug Right-to-Know Act (see page 1). The Legislature bottled it up, first in a Senate committee and then in an Assembly committee. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t make progress.

Over the past year we’ve met activists like Jim Torlakson (see interview) who have the courage to speak out about their families’ tragedies. These real life stories help legislators put a face on statistics of lives lost or people harmed.

In the past year we’ve also built the list of the bill’s co-authors. The following legislators have joined with Sen. Jack Scott to sign their name to the bill, thus showing their strong commitment to passing it: Sens. Chesbro, Ortiz and Romero and Assemblymembers Frommer, Laird, Lieber, Koretz, Oropeza, and Pavley.

And of course, in the past year we’ve knocked on tens of thousands of doors, getting postcards signed to legislators, and building the membership and funds it takes to do public interest advocacy.

All of this progress puts us in a stronger position next year. These little victories along the way, when added up, help to counter the insider muscle that the pharmaceutical industry and its lobbyists have.

So, even when it takes a while, I want to thank you for your role in this effort. With your support, with continued hard work and with a little luck, next year you, your doctor, Sen. Scott and the bill’s co-authors, Emily Clayton, Jim Torlakson, and the canvasser who came to your door will all be toasting a victory for safer prescription drugs.

Sincerely,

Steve Blackledge
Legislative Director