California Catholics asked to lobby lawmakers

Bill topics include pregnancy centers, gun control

By Valerie Schmalz

The month of May will see Catholics making appointments at California lawmakers’ offices, phoning and sending emails to lobby for and against four pieces of legislation prioritized by the California Catholic Conference. If you want to join the team, go here.

The California Catholic Conference is the public policy arm of the California bishops. The bishops, informed by staff members of the Sacramento-headquartered public policy office, decide which items to prioritize, which to oppose, which to support and on which ones to take no position. These four bills are not the only ones on which the bishops will take positions, but they are the ones the California Catholic Conference has judged should be a priority for action in May.

Watch this space, and sign up for Just 3 Things for updates on more items of public and Catholic interest throughout the legislative session.

The Catholic Conference is supporting SB 2, a gun control measure which would add more limitations on concealed weapons; SB 4, which would smooth the zoning process for conversion of religious property to affordable housing; and AB 238, which would fund a program to give grants to student teachers, including to parochial school teachers.

The conference is opposing AB 315 which would allow prolife pregnancy centers to be sued by private citizens as ‘fake clinics’ for false advertising since they do not provide abortion.

To learn more about the legislation, download the fact sheets here.

To join the Archdiocese of San Francisco Legislative Advocacy Team, sign up here.

To specifically oppose AB 315, go here to send an email to your state legislators.

To find your California legislator, go here.

(Photo courtesy Josh Hild/Unsplash)

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