First-of-Its-Kind ‘Practitioners Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California’

The first-of-Its-kind ‘Practitioners Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California,’ written and edited by well-known California lobbyists, political practitioners and contributors to California Globe Chris Micheli and Ray LeBov, will be published this week. More than four dozen California lobbyists, political lawyers and public affairs practitioners contributed to college-level textbook and practitioners’ manual being published this week.

This college-level textbook and professional manual will offer insights into California’s world of lobbying and advocacy, and proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to political science graduate student scholarships.

Unlike other textbooks authored by academics and professors, this book was entirely written by more than 40 practicing California lobbyists and politicos. The wide-ranging, 45-chapter textbook provides an insider’s perspective on varying topics related to lobbying and influencing the legislature. Each chapter provides professional insights into topics such as:

• “Best Practices for Lobbying” (Ch. 15)
• “Running a Successful Lobbying Firm” (Ch. 12)
• “Providing Effective Committee Testimony” (Ch. 20)
• “Getting and Retaining Clients” (Ch. 13)
• “Legislative Coalition and Grassroots Mobilization Efforts” (Ch. 9)
• “Managing a Political Action Committee” (Ch. 38)
• “Use of Ballot Measures in Lobbying” (Ch. 44)

“I began teaching a politics class at McGeorge School of Law and realized that what students want are real-life stories about the legislative and lobbying processes in Sacramento,” said Chris Micheli, who has been lobbying in the State Capitol for over 20 years. “What we do in California leads the nation, for good and bad, and how that policy is made is important. I wanted to put together a textbook from leading practitioners on the ground that I knew would be an engaging read for students while also providing in-depth knowledge of why advocacy is important and how it works. Who better to help me write it than my friends and colleagues in the Capitol community who could share their experiences?”

Available in both hard copy and as an electronic version, the textbook can be purchased online from Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. The electronic version includes student quizzes to accompany the textbook.

A full list of the chapters and authors:

Section I. Getting Started

1 Who Qualifies as a Lobbyist? Diane Fishburn and Lacey Keys

2 FPPC Compliance for Lobbyists Thomas Hiltachk and Sarah Lang

3 Types of Lobbyists and Their Clients Mark Smith

4 Educating Lobbyists Ray LeBov and Chris Micheli

5 Finding a Job in the Lobbying Field Chris Micheli

Section II. Types of Lobbying

6 Lobbying the Legislature Mike Belote

7 Government Procurement Lobbying Rob Grossglauser and Chris Micheli

8 Regulatory Agency Lobbying Chris Micheli

9 Legislative Coalition and Grassroots Mobilization Efforts Mike Madrid

10 Nonprofit State Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy in California Jennifer Fearing

Section III. The Business of Lobbying

11 How to Open Your Own Small Firm Erin Niemela

12 Running a Successful Lobbying Firm Aaron Read

13 Getting and Retaining Clients John Latimer

14 Small, Boutique Lobbying Firms – Specialized, Personalized Gavin McHugh, Shari McHugh, Dawn Koepke and Naomi Padron

Section IV. The Mechanics of Lobbying

15 Best Practices for Lobbying Cassie Gilson

16 California Ethics Rules for the Lobbying Profession Tom Hiltachk, Chris Micheli and Charles H. Bell

17 Finding the Right Bill Author for Your Bill Ray LeBov

18 Negotiating Legislative Amendments Margaret Gladstein

19 Writing Effective Advocacy Letters Chris Micheli

20 Providing Effective Committee Testimony Chris Micheli

21 Securing Gubernatorial Signatures and Vetoes and Confirming Gubernatorial Appointments Chris Kahn

22 End-of-Session Plays and Pitfalls Dennis Loper

23 Lobbying Bill Referrals Chris Micheli

24 Tips for Effective Meetings with State Officials and Staff Andrew Antwih and Chris Micheli

25 State Budget Lobbying Diane Cummins

26 Tracking and Analyzing California Legislation and Regulations Chris Micheli

27 Effective Lobbying in the Rulemaking Process Anthony Samson

28 Lobbying Elected Officials: Suggestions for Success Marty Block and Chris Micheli

29 Developing Strategy and Tactics to Implement Your Lobbying Goals Ray LeBov and Chris Micheli

Section V. Specialized Areas of Lobbying

30 Navigating the Coastal Commission: A Guide to Effective Communications Susan McCabe

31 Lobbying at the Public Utilities Commission Carolyn Veal-Hunter

32 Advocacy before the California Transportation Commission Robert Naylor

Section VI. Lobbying Support

33 Lobbying Support Services Anne Kelly

34 Policy Analysis in the Legislative Process Thomas Nussbaum

35 Statutory Interpretation and Legislative Intent Research for Lobbyists Chris Micheli

36 Forming and Running Successful Lobbying Coalitions Jeanne Cain

37 Resources for Lobbyists Ray LeBov and Chris Micheli

Section VII. Working with and as a Lobbyist

38 Managing a Political Action Committee Martin A. Wilson

39 Working as an Association Lobbyist and Managing Contract Lobbyists Katherine Pettibone

40 Working as an In-House Lobbyist Martha Miller

41 Working as a Labor Union Lobbyist Caitlin Vega

42 Lobbying Sacramento from a Local Government Perspective Michael Turner

43 Working as a State Agency Lobbyist Ben Turner  

Section VIII. Alternatives to Lobbying

44 Use of Ballot Measures in Lobbying Brandon Castillo

45 Legislative Power: Challenging Statutes in the Courts Jon Coupal

For Chris Micheli’s extensive library of informative California Globe articles, click HERE.

For Chris Micheli’s and Ray LeBov’s library of California Globe articles, click HERE.