Lutheran Lobby Day 2026 – Lutheran Office of Public Policy

Our 2026 Lutheran Lobby Day will be on Wednesday, May 20th between 8:30 am – 4 pm. We will have opening worship on Tuesday, May 19th at 6:00 pm.

Scheduled Events

Opening Worship

When: Tuesday, May 19 6:00-7:00 pm

Where: St. John’s Lutheran Church 1701 L St. Sacramento, CA 95811

Lobby Day

When: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Where: St. John’s Lutheran Church 1701 L St. Sacramento, CA 95811

Schedule of Events:

TIME	ACTIVITY	LOCATION
8:30 AM	Welcome & Opening Prayer	St. John’s Sanctuary
8:35 AM	Kate Parsons ELCA AMMPARO	St. John’s Sanctuary
9:00 AM	Group Photo	St. John’s
9:15AM	Bill Overview	St. John’s Sanctuary
9:45 AM	Advocacy 101	St. John’s Sanctuary
10:00 AM	Sending Prayer-Those with 11 am meetings leave now* Shuttles leave at 10:10 and 10:30 am	St. John’s to Capitol Swing Space; walk or take the shuttle
11:00 AM-3:30 PM	Legislative Meetings	Swing Space, 1021 O St
3:45 PM	Closing Reflection & Prayers	St. John’s Sanctuary
4:00 PM	End	–

2026 Lobby Day Legislative Priorities

Environment:

SB868 (Wiener): Electricity: portable solar generation devices

This bill will allow portable solar devices to be used for energy customers in California. It will exempt these devices from interconnection requirements by state law, the Public Utilities Commission, or electrical corporation rules. In practice, the bill aims to lower Californians’ electric bills using portable solar. It supports access to portable solar generation devices by removing unnecessary interconnection barriers for small-scale, consumer-controlled clean energy use.

SB 1125 (Menjivar): Water Rate Assistance Program

This bill will require the State Water Resources Control Board to develop a drinking water needs assessment. The assessment needs to include an analysis of what funds are necessary to make water service affordable, as many low-income California households struggle with water debt. The focus area for the needs assessment is for customers of community water systems with fewer than 3,000 service connections.

Hunger:

AB1049 (Rodriguez): California Food Assistance Program: sponsor deeming rules

California immigrant families who otherwise qualify for state food assistance can be denied, delayed, or discouraged from applying due to sponsor deeming. Eligibility rules currently may count a sponsor’s income even when that sponsor is not actually supporting the household. This bill will eliminate sponsor deeming rules for the state nutrition assistance program, the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and increase both the number of people eligible and amount of aid that immigrants can receive.

AB2299 (Calderon): California Anti-Hunger Response and Employment Training Act of 2026

This bill aims to expand access to the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for people who are excluded from the CalFresh program solely due to federal HR-1 time-limit work rules and humanitarian refugee status. The bill would help preserve access to nutrition benefits for low-income people who are out of work, underemployed, seeking work, or affected by humanitarian immigration status barriers.

Immigration

SB1105 (Perez): Law enforcement

Referred to by advocates as the Protect California Rights Act, this bill aims to prohibit local and state law enforcement from assisting federal agents in operations that involve racial or identity profiling, criminalization of speech, or use of unauthorized weapons of war against Californians. It protects Californians from discriminatory enforcement practices that undermine equal protection and public trust.

AB1537 (Bryan, Carrillo, Ortega): Peace officers: secondary employment

This bill aims to bar law enforcement officers from secondary employment, contract work, or volunteer roles with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or entities that assist with federal immigration enforcement. A failure to comply with AB1537 will be considered an act of dishonesty and grounds for decertification as a peace officer.

Common Lobby Day Questions

What is a legislative visit?

A legislative visit is a meeting with a legislator or their staffer. A meeting with a staffer is just as valuable as a meeting with a legislator because they often are more in the weeds of particular policy areas, and legislators rely on staffers for information.

How do the legislative meetings work?

You will be placed into multiple legislative meetings during Lobby Day. This could be 2 or more meetings depending on how many people register! For more details on the flow of these meetings, check out our video from 2023 discussing it: 2023 Lobby Day Meeting Walk Through.

Will I meet with my district legislators?

You might meet with your legislators, but we will be spreading our network out to meet with key decision makers for the particular bills we are following. This means focusing on legislators on certain committees and who might be on the fence on their vote.

If you are not able to meet with your legislator during Lobby Day, you can always schedule a meeting, call, or email to share your thoughts. Because we have more political power when we come in numbers, organizing a small group of 5-10 people from your church can increase your impact on your representatives.

I’m juggling work and family obligations. How can I participate?

Please join us for as much as you can. You are free to step out if needed to tend to professional or personal matters. Please make a note in your registration form if you cannot join us for the whole day.

I’ve never done lobbying before. What is it?

Lobbying is a form of advocacy work that involves directly meeting with political decision-makers, whether elected or appointed. Many of us have heard of lobbyists in Washington, DC, and while we tend to think of lobbying as something only corporations do, anyone can lobby. Lobbying is simply talking with your legislators about your priorities and asking them to listen, and bringing your network to the table to back them up when decisions get hard, and stakeholders pull legislators in multiple directions.

Who is my legislator?

California has two legislative houses, the California State Assembly and the California State Senate. Both base representation on population, but the Assembly has 80 members and the Senate has 40 members.

Find your representative here.

How does the bill process work?

Bills may be introduced in both chambers. Each bill must pass through the first chamber’s committees before being voted on by the whole chamber “on the floor.” After passing the first house, the bill moves through the same process in the other house. If successful, the bill goes to the governor’s desk. The governor can sign or veto a bill.

What bills are we advocating for this year?

This year, we will focus on bills that align with our social statements regarding immigration protection and access to food and medical care. To learn more about the bills we are tracking, click here.

Why do we announce bills so late? We need to make sure any bills we’re considering haven’t been amended poorly and are still moving through the legislature by the time Lobby Day takes place.

What should I wear? Do I need to bring anything?

We suggest wearing something business casual–something you feel comfortable in. Wear smaller jewelry as you will have to go through metal detectors when entering the legislative swing space building. We also recommend you wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking between meetings and such throughout the day. It will also likely be in the 90s that day, so loose and light clothing could be helpful!

You need to have a notebook and pen or pencil to take notes. Bill related fact sheets, the schedule, legislator information, and your group information, will be provided to you upon arrival at St. John’s and via email prior to Lobby Day. Otherwise, just bring your interest and enthusiasm!

When should I arrive?

Lobby Day 2026 will begin at 8:30 am on May 28th and run until 4:00 pm. If you have a very long drive or will be flying in, we suggest you arrive the day beforehand to ensure you will be on time and not miss any of the trainings and speakers on Lobby Day.

I’ve lobbied before and feel comfortable facilitating meetings on Lobby Day. Who should I contact for volunteering?

We’re so glad you want to volunteer to facilitate legislative meetings! Please indicate that you’re willing to volunteer on your registration form and we will reach out to you directly with more information. Otherwise, you can also reach out to Laura Muther at lmuther.loppca@gmail.com about volunteering in any capacity.

Will we be meeting legislators in the Capitol?

No. The actual Capitol building is undergoing years-long renovations, so the legislative offices are currently housed in the Capitol Annex Swing Space at 1021 O St, Sacramento. We will head over to the Swing Space following the morning program at St. John’s.

I have mobility issues and can’t walk to and from St. John’s and the Swing Space. Will a ride be offered?

Yes! We’re booking a shuttle service for the day that will take half-hourly trips between St. John’s and the swing space for meetings for those who need it or if it rains.

Do we need to bring a lunch?

Nope! We will provide vouchers to receive lunch from a local restaurant.

Other questions?

Email Laura Muther at lmuther.loppca@gmail.com

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