The Daily Signal - How California Legislation Really Gets Passed | Elaine Culotti & Informed Policy Advocates

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

From preserving parental vaccine rights to the inner workings within the Gold State’s capitol, Darrlene Alquiza and Jessica Cabrera with Informed Policy Advocates join Elaine Culotti, Daily Signal C...alifornia contributor for a special interview to discuss their work. NOTE : This interview was recorded prior to Elaine Culotti’s 2026 California governor announcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:13 I'm Elaine Kalati, and I am reporting for the Daily Signal, and I'd like to introduce you to some pretty sharp cookies. Go ahead. I'm Darlene Al-Kizzo with informed policy advocates. And I'm Jessica Cabrero with informed policy advocates. These two beautiful women are advocating through Sacramento with policy. And the biggest part of our discussion today is what happens when you complain about something? How does that turn into an actual change in the law? change in legislation, how does that plant a seed and become something that you can actually change instead of just complain about? Complaining is not the way to get elected. We have a lot of
Starting point is 00:00:57 people complaining at a microphone, just like this one. And what I'm finding is there's very few solutions. And when pressed in many debates, there's also very few solutions. Why is that? Well, these two young ladies, if you ask them, are going to tell you a story that's very interesting, and that is how difficult it is to actually move the needle. What's really important to realize when you run for office is that you can complain all you want. You have to have a path for change. You have to be a meaningful advocate of policy change, and you need to know how to write policy, you know how to read policy, and you need to know how to advocate and lobby for your policy to be adopted and become a law. And if you can't make that happen, all you're doing is going up to the microphone and complaining, which we need to stop immediately in California.
Starting point is 00:01:49 Right. So I want these two ladies to tell you their story. I especially want Jessica to tell you about her first day in Sacramento in 2019 because it's absolutely fascinating. So with that, I am not going to interrupt because the story is riveting. Oh, sure. I'll all kind of premise. So for me, I've been doing everything. advocacy work is specific to education policy since 2003.
Starting point is 00:02:15 And a lot of different legislation has gone through over the years. And in 2019, SB 276 was a bill that came through in California that was going to make it more difficult for children to get their medical exemptions for their vaccines to go to school. And so in that, a lot of moms got up in arms because the government is essentially getting in the way of their doctor-patient relationship regarding their child.
Starting point is 00:02:40 And that is a big problem here in California. So at that time, I got introduced to a lot of moms who were looking to advocate for their children and their families. And I got a call from a good friend who was like, you know, Jessica is a mom that I know. She's really passionate. She wants to get in there. She's had a couple meetings, but I think she needs some coaching and some support with how to present to the legislators. And so I had a great meeting with Jessica. And I mean, six years later, we're, you know, working together with our own.
Starting point is 00:03:10 nonprofit. But like I basically told her, you know, go in with three talking points because they're not going to listen to like an hour of complaints and make sure you end with a clear ask. Because a lot of times people go in there. They complain, complain, complain. And literally, the staffer will say, I don't know what you're asking. And then, you know, they walk out because they don't even really know. Like, I just want you to fix it. But I don't know what I want you to do. Like, I didn't know how to think that far ahead. So I talked to her. about, you know, like, you need to really have a clear ask when you're going in there. But her with her passion, like, right away, she's like making appointments in Sacramento and going in.
Starting point is 00:03:50 Yes. So my first experience lobbying in the Capitol was in 2019. So this bill had already gone through several committees. And we were about at the last committee right before it hit the floor for a assembly vote. And I scheduled this one meeting with a assemblywoman that was really hard to get a meeting with. I mean, all these meetings, it was a constant, like, pulling teeth with people, you know, they throw you to your staff, they throw you to the scheduler. And I was like, I don't care who I talked to. I just need to get in there and talk to somebody. So I ended up scheduling with the somebody woman Monique Limon's office. And I had her staffer who met me and said, you know, it's really nice to meet you. I want you to know, I only took your meeting because of your
Starting point is 00:04:32 last name and because you're Latina. And I said, okay, well, what do you mean by that? And he's like, well, it's been a lot of white Whole Food Yoga moms talking about this issue. And I just, I want to hear something different that you have to say. I want to hear your perspective on this. So I was, I was thrown back, but, you know, me thinking, okay, I'm in a meeting. I got through here. I just need to push through this. And I'm thankful. I'm even in the position to have this conversation with him. So this gentleman, you know, tells me his story. And I, I always, we always go into it with making sure we are bridging the gap with them, you know, thanking them for the work that they're doing acknowledging the work that they have done in the state capital.
Starting point is 00:05:11 You just always want to make sure you're playing nice in the sandbox. So we make our introduction, he tells me, well, I just from the beginning I want you to know, my sister was heavily impacted by the swine flu. So he had his home personal experience. So from that, I had to say, you know what, anything I say to him, I'm not going to change his mind. I have 15 minutes with this man. I am never going to change his mind in 15 minutes.
Starting point is 00:05:33 I had to go into it with, I just need to plant the seed and pray that that seed starts to blossom over time. So we get into talking and having conversation and he's like, you know, it's a lot of moms that are here that are white. They're, you know, uneducated. They, you know, they just don't want to vaccinate their kids. And I said, these moms are and our children are not just Democrats. We're not just Republicans. These are moms from different socioeconomic statuses, different families, different communities. I mean, you have parents from Compton coming here. You have parents from Moran County coming here and advocating and telling you that we need to preserve our sacred patient doctor relationship. So, you know, meeting went well and I left it there just
Starting point is 00:06:14 confused. I was like, this was a very interesting conversation and more so for me my first time. I just felt like this was mental gymnastics I went through. Fast forward to 2024. I scheduled the meeting with one of the higher state legislators that are sitting in office right now. and he's the chief of staff for that office. And I immediately, I saw his name and I knew who it was. And I said, what a great opportunity to come back after all these years and start this dialogue again. So I said, hey, you know, Israel, you remember me? He's like, yeah, I remember you.
Starting point is 00:06:48 He's like, you know, it's nice to have you back. And so we dialogue. And he's like, you know, COVID, we started, it was about COVID-19. He's talking about COVID and how his, I think he had a family member that passed away. So again, you know, I had parents impacted by COVID. So I'm very, I give a lot of grace in that conversation on both ends of the aisle. And so I heard him out, I heard what he had to say. And he said, you know, I've thought a lot about what you said past the years.
Starting point is 00:07:11 And a lot of it has, it's coming out now. You know, I see, I see the things you were talking about. And I didn't change his mind entirely. But I planted enough of a seed for him to be friendly with me. You know, he sees me in the hallway. He says hello to me. So now I can always go back. And I always tell her, if we have a point we want to try to make, I'm like,
Starting point is 00:07:31 let's run it by him just so he could poke the holes in it. And, you know, then we can use that and turn it around and have a stronger based argument. So I've really tried to cultivate my relationship with him like that so that I'm also learning, what do you know on the back end? So we're not just going and trying to educate them. We're also going in and extracting information on their perspective, on their viewpoint. And, you know, how they think policies like this would look if they were to go through Sacramento again. Yeah. This is this is like magic to me because if you think about how difficult it is to change the mind of someone who has their own personal what they call lived experience and the fact that, you know, they had just had a brush meeting and she knew a little tiny bit about the swine flu. She acknowledged that she probably wasn't going to change his mind in one meeting. And then four years later, he's running a division of something that can actually really impact what they're doing. And I also want to point out to everybody.
Starting point is 00:08:28 the story about the swine flu and her first trip in was in 2019. So this is before COVID. This is when California had a lot of Democrats that did not believe in mandating vaccines. Okay. We were the original hippies. We did not want that. That all changed after COVID. But I can tell you right now, California is probably Democrat ground zero for not wanting vaccines if you go back in history.
Starting point is 00:08:56 Now, that's not to mean to say that. some vaccines are good and some vaccines are necessary. None of us are advocating for that. What we are advocating, though, for I think, if I'm getting this correct, 100%, which is something we should all want, is that we, the power and the decision remains between us and our doctor. It's not, it's not a political decision. Something that could or might be or has any chance of being unhealthy or bad for my child that might have something different than your child should not be the decision of a politician. I mean, ever. It's just not like that's not it's not it's common sense.
Starting point is 00:09:32 I mean, that is common sense. That is not a will of wars. That is not people that are, you know, on two different sides of the aisle. You don't know how a vaccine is going to affect a child A versus child Z. There's so many people in between. That decision needs to be between a doctor and a patient, a doctor and a mother. The child, the doctor, and the mother. And I think that's why at an informed policy,
Starting point is 00:09:57 we've created our platform to be something that both sides of the aisle agree on. So informed consent, consumer protections, and civil rights. I mean, people can have their opinion about vaccines either which way, which is fine. Everybody, again, has their own experiences and, you know, what worked for their family or, you know, that whole thing. But at the end of the day, you have to give informed consent. You have to have the right to opt out with reasonable accommodations, whether you're a Democrat or Republican. So as a consumer, it doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat. You need to be
Starting point is 00:10:34 protected as a consumer. Like, flat. How do you think you guys are doing? I think we're doing really well. There's a lot of pieces that we're finding out only through dialogue and conversation with the state legislature. So, for example, this year, this last year, we spent the entire year trying to meet with all 120 offices. Okay. And in these conversations, we found out that The California state legislature, meaning the staff, had a vaccine mandate, while the senators and the assembly members did not have a vaccine mandate. Yes. So it caused.
Starting point is 00:11:10 Wait, wait, wait. Yes. The staff had it. The staff had a mandate. But the big dogs got out from under the- bosses got out of it. And they had a choice. They had a choice, okay?
Starting point is 00:11:23 But their staff did not have a choice. So can you imagine the inner turmoil at this? cause within their offices. So what we're doing is we're coming into these offices and these meetings. I want to know your experience. How was it for you? And they're like, well, you know, I was thinking about getting the vaccine, but then the mandate came and I was, I said, were you forced? Yeah, I actually was forced. Do you feel like you had informed consent? No, I actually didn't have have informed consent. Do you feel like you're protected as a consumer? No, no. And I never thought about it in this way. So we are walking them through.
Starting point is 00:11:57 their own experience with our lens and our points that we're bringing forward. So it changes. Are you guys writing a documentary as well as legislation? I mean, you know, I wish me could. There's so much to do it in the back end. And this is what people, this is a journey work you laid. This is a journey work that people don't see where we have to do this back end research on like, how are we going into this? I'm researching the staffer. Do they have kids? What are they about? Because the staff is gatekeeping the policy. see from the lawmakers. The lawmakers are so busy. They have so much going on. They have no, we've done. The staff and this is all over with. I think, I mean, part of it that people don't
Starting point is 00:12:35 realize, too, is legislators have term limits, but staff don't. And so a lot of the staff that are there, they've seen multiple legislators go through the system and they know what works and what doesn't work more than the legislators themselves. Like, they are handholding the legislators through the legislative process. And not a lot of people know that. And, and not a lot of people know that. And so for us, too, like even just knowing that, like the relationship that we're building, we're not only meeting with the legislators themselves. We are building bonds with the staff so that when bills pass through, it's easier for us to call and say, you know, this bill was introduced or this bill was amended.
Starting point is 00:13:15 You know, can you make sure to share this information with your boss? And they're more open to that because they know that we're not bomb throwers, that we're not just attacking them or complaining. And I think that's one of the things that, you know, when when people realize that, you know, getting laws passed, a lot of it has to do with the relationships that you build with the people that go through that process, you're more likely to get something passed if you can, you know, have those bonds along the way and say, you know, like, thank you for helping me. What do I need to do to get it to that next office, to that next
Starting point is 00:13:48 step in the legislative process? You're more likely to get there. Have you guys Does the legislation Does the legislative body have a union? They are trying to create one for the staff. That's right. Yeah. That was a bill.
Starting point is 00:14:03 Then they ran a bill on that. They ran a bill on it during the injuries. About two years ago. Have you, have you had any luck with meeting with like heads of unions for representation for unions to have? I see you smiling, darling, darling. I feel like like, you know, I mean, I was got war
Starting point is 00:14:23 What is it good for? You have all these unions Like they're so like Hoity Toidi about how they're going to like Solve all your problems So a little bit of inside baseball in this Okay so going back to Yeah
Starting point is 00:14:35 With Jessica and Darlene Going back to our conversation about Lobbyists have such a bad rap Okay We knew I mean myself more so than Darlene I knew nothing about lobbying Like nothing I didn't know what a lobbyist was
Starting point is 00:14:49 Or any of that prior to this I got in here and I literally drowned myself in information as much as I can learn about lobbying. Once we retained, we're able to retain our lobbyists and really learn the ropes through a professional. He confirmed a lot of our approach was the right approach that we were taking. So fast forward to now. There's a lot of these little ways that we have to be able to get in, right, whether that's through the committees. So making sure that we're talking to the consultants. And when you're talking to the consultants, the consultants are the ones drafting how they recommend the chair or that committee or the caucus to vote on that specific bill.
Starting point is 00:15:27 So if we have a conversation with them and we're able to tell them our talking points, they're going to add that into their draft, right? So we've been able to do that and sway a little bit of how that's written. One thing that we finally figured out that has been so beneficial. Back in 2022, Assumbywoman B. B.193. and it was a bill that would have mandated vaccines for all employees across California. Everybody would have been mandated to take a vaccine. Even if you worked from home. Yes.
Starting point is 00:15:57 And you never saw anybody. It's done to get back to the board. Earned money. No exceptions, no nothing. And this was a package of the vaccine caucus bills that they had put out at that time. So her bill made it to one committee, which is the labor committee. And then she pulled it. Not before, because I knew the trick on this.
Starting point is 00:16:15 I was able to pull the bill analysis. So a bill analysis states the problem with the bill, the opposition, the support, the list of names of groups that are supporting that as well. Okay. So I pulled it out and she pulled the bill very abruptly. We couldn't figure out why. I look at the list of opposition. It's California Professional Firefighters Union. It's the grape growers association.
Starting point is 00:16:38 It's the agriculture communities. It's the wine growers associations. It's all the people that get her into office. But it's all unions. Yeah, it's all unions. It's all people that donate to her campaign. And that sparked for us, wow, we are the ones rattling the grass roots here. But we need to start bridging that gap with the grass tops because the grass tops are the ones that are carrying the water legislatively. And they have that power to sway legislation more than we do at this moment. So we started collaborating with them and asking them, hey, what are your thoughts on this policy? How do we fix this here and there? So right now, we're actively trying to work. As you bring forward legislation moving forward, to bring those unions back to the table to show support and show why those policies we had at that moment will not work for California. All COVID was was a test run on infrastructure. How fast can we install this infrastructure of surveillance on making sure we're mandating medicine in order for us to have it in the future?
Starting point is 00:17:34 But people like us stood up and said, no, we're not doing that. And one good thing of the pandemic was the silver lining that came out of it was that people started understanding government. They started understanding we have state government, we have federal government, we have local government. Who do I go to from my problem? So we started educating people. Well, you have a local issue. You need to go to your board of supervisors. You know, you have this is here. You have your state of assembly members here. You have your senators there. But it's only through that knowledge that people can really see effective change. Otherwise, you know, you're, again, you're complaining to your phone. Right. It's not going anywhere. I think if you actually want to make an impact with the legislature, you really need to do.
Starting point is 00:18:13 your homework of what is the process even to the coalition building. So it's like, okay, I have a bill idea. I have the language. I know who I want to talk to. They're going to ask, like, what do the big dogs think? Yeah. And you have to be ready to say, well, I talk to this organization. I talk to this trade association. I talk to, you know, the CMA. And this is actually what they said. And then be able to let them know, like, we're going to carry the water because you're trying to introduce a thousand bills. There's 3,000 bills that go through the legislature every year, and we're going to help you to get this to the finish line. And they want to see that before they say, you know what, okay, I'll author that. I think one of the things that's important to note, too, is here in California,
Starting point is 00:18:57 a lot of people tend to think California is a lost cause. Like, why even bother? Like calling them, it's not going to help anything. I'm wasting my time. But that's actually really wrong when you have the right strategy. And so we've been able to do a lot as far as legislative action, working on projects. Like one thing that I can mention is there's a senator who we went and talked about, you know, these are the numbers. The enrollment rate is declining for school in California because these vaccine policies are so strict that people would rather move out of state or pull out their kids in homeschool or just, you know, find a different way. because it's not, you know, health care is more important than, you know, putting them in the
Starting point is 00:19:45 corner school. Like, I'm going to find a school where I can put them to, but keep the integrity of my family's, you know, decisions about medicine. And so, you know, it's so funny because I just forgot where I was going with that. Okay, one, two, three, take a breath. Yes. Okay. I didn't want to just one point to that, Darlene, you know, one thing that we try to do and bring forward is we're not going in talking about the science. We're not going in talking about the medicine of it pro or anti-vaccine. We're going in with political talking points that they can grasp and take and think about because we've had comments made to us that are like, you know, we're not a doctor. I'm not a doctor. I'm not a physician. I'm not a scientist. I don't want to touch this issue
Starting point is 00:20:27 because I don't understand it. You're not a doctor so what you're saying is not credible, right? So we say, and this is actually a recent meeting we had with a assembly member. He said that to us. And he's like, you know, I'm not a doctor. And, you know, you're not scientists. And I said, you're absolutely right. And that's why the state of California should not be legislating medicine. But you guys have now taken it upon yourself since 2019, 2015, actually, with SB277, where California has started to mandate and legislate medicine.
Starting point is 00:20:56 So if you don't believe we should be talking about the science of it, then why have you taken a stance? You're not only just creating the pathway for health policy, but you guys are now actually legislating and mandating medicine. And that's that crossing point that it's the point of no return at some point. When can we start walking at that? I think it's also fair that you have to somewhere in this discussion
Starting point is 00:21:20 put money into the discussion. Oh, 100%. So, because if you don't put money into the discussion, then you can't always follow the money. When you untangle the spaghetti, you will find who the honeypot was. And in California, I think we have a lot of funding from large pharma.
Starting point is 00:21:38 We have it across the United States. Everybody knows that. And what happens is, you know, there's people think that, you know, some, certain people on the right, say they're really evil and they're doing this and that. And then people on the left be like, no, no, they're trying to protect us. But really what's going on is that it's hard to get funding for these very controversial issues. And so because the funding is so limited, you wind up taking money when you're running for
Starting point is 00:22:05 office or when you're legislating from maybe somebody that might have an ulterior motive for giving you the money other than what you're actually touting. And it's hard to tell people that. What was that? Mark Twain saying it's a lot easier to actually scam somebody to then for somebody to like admit or be heard that they have been scammed. So that wasn't quite Mark Twain's words by the way, but you get the idea. And I want to, I want to, you know, say money is important where you take your money. And you guys seem to be, like your money seems to be quite clean because I know a little bit about where that's coming from. And I think that, you know, that's the most interesting part when I think of a lobbyist lobbying me to do something. Or is somebody asking me to speak on behalf of them? I'm like, why? Who's asking you? Who's really asking you?
Starting point is 00:22:55 And I know that you guys all experienced what we all experienced here in California where Gavin Newsom went to the, went to Davos, right? And we spoke about this briefly, and I don't want to offend anybody that's friends with Gavin Newsom, but I want to just say, or I should call him Governor Newsom, because he's the governor of the state. But what's important to understand is that Gavin Newsom went to Davos without state money. The state did not pay for him to go. I don't know that we would have at this point authorized for him to go to Davos, which is important. And then when he got to Davos, he sort of misrepresented the state of California by calling, the state of California his, as if everybody in California shares his point of view. And so at our very top and highest leader in California and the person that we depend on to
Starting point is 00:23:48 represent California and how we see things, we had this misinformation happening that was beyond. And I actually got on Daily Signal and did a podcast about it because I was so upset and offended. And I was offended by the pure strategy that outside forces, sent him to Davos and paid for that. And those outside forces that sent him there and paid for that do not represent my interests. Right. Right.
Starting point is 00:24:13 And I did not vote for outside forces to take you to get to a microphone in Davos and talk about things that do not represent our interest in California across the board. And so where the money comes from is really important. And I really want to say that what you guys are doing is really important. Otherwise, you wind up looking like Gavin Newsom out of microphone being supported by an outside interest that really has no interest in what you're pitching, but rather is pitching their own thing through your voice and through your network and through your idea. And I just want to be clear, where the money comes from really matters. These two young ladies are, they're not,
Starting point is 00:24:48 they're not lobbyists. They're, they're moms, their advocates, they're Californians. They believe in the health and the well-being. They want to fight for your rights to you have freedoms, which you deserve. California is, I'm the original hippie here. Look at me. And I, I, I don't know when we went off the rails, but we did. And it's not us against them. We're not in a fight. We just want everybody in California to have the choices that they want to make. And if you want to vaccinate your kids and send them to school, you have that option.
Starting point is 00:25:18 No one's taking that away from you. But don't be upset with moms that, you know, I've gone this far. It's like, I'm really getting an education and I am, you know, going up and down the halls in Sacramento and door knocking. and I am bringing ideas into Sacramento that all of you people that are complaining are not doing. And this is what the face of a mom looks like who cares about our kids. And I'm just, I'm so proud of you. Oh, thank you. I'm so proud of you.
Starting point is 00:25:43 And one thing, too, I want to remind everybody, we are not just moms anymore. We are super women that are actually, you know, we're capable of so much. And I hate when people are just like, oh, we're just moms. It's like, no, we're doing so much. Even with us, we catch ourselves all the time. We're like, we're no. There's so much more than that. And I want to remind all the moms out there that have these problems that feel overwhelmed.
Starting point is 00:26:05 You can do this too. And that's what we're here for to teach you to walk you through it. I will literally hold your hand. We will literally roll play with you through the situation. Fly with you to Sacramento. Fly with you to have your meeting with your legislator because we're that passionate and making sure that you feel confident and you feel empowered because that's the only way that you're able to have that confidence to get up there and speak your voice.
Starting point is 00:26:28 For our viewers, where and how do they contact you immediately? Inform policy advocates at www. informed with the ED Policy Advocates.org. That's our website. Please look us up, sign up for a newsletter. Donate if you can because we are a lobby team of five. Three moms, Chris, is one of the co-founders with us. And we have two registered lobbyists.
Starting point is 00:26:54 And basically, any money that we get priority is to the registered lobbyist because they know the lay of the land. They could get us the meetings that we need. Last year, there were times when we were paying out of our own pocket to go up to Sacramento just because it was like, no, this meeting is too important to miss. You hear that. They were paying out of their own pocket to go to Sacramento to lobby on behalf of kids. It's been volunteer work up until just recently the last few months.
Starting point is 00:27:21 So, you know, again, we're not doing this from the money. They're not on, by the way, they're not on here to raise money. I'm just saying this is how it gets done. It's a grassroots effort. And so if you want to hit up, you know, Darlene and Jessica, that's how you're going to do it, right? They're going to go on there. And I'm sure it says a contact us part. Yes, and we're on Instagram too on informed policy advocates and on X on IP advocates.
Starting point is 00:27:43 Right. If you go to our website, we have a call to action. It is to talk to your legislator. If you have the courage to do that, please do if you don't tell us. And we will consult with you. We will coach you. support you the whole way through. And if you are somebody that's like, I'm not going to touch that. And you can donate, please help us to get there. Because if we could get flights to go to Sacramento,
Starting point is 00:28:07 we're going to take those meetings. Also, you guys, you know, you could write in their comments or on their website for them to kind of maybe think about opening up a lobby school and or a way that people can contact them that would want to lobby. And maybe one of you very wealthy donors of mine could actually give them some money to create an advocacy school where these two girls can show everybody how to do it because we could take Sacramento by storm. Oh yeah. And that's actually what we do. So if you are an organization and you're looking for some of your issues to get up to Sacramento and be advocated for, we would be happy to sit with you, train you through that, and just help you formulate what your ask is. I just want to say one more thing to your point about the money. So we did extensive
Starting point is 00:28:52 research on pharma donating to politicians. So when there was a bill coming through that would have mandated the HPV vaccine, I pulled all the records. Who was donating? Was Merck donating to them? Because Merck is one of the only manufacturers of the HPV vaccine. So they wanted to mandate the HPV vaccine for all of California's children. I went back to the records and found out that Merck maxed out all their contributions to all 120 legislators. So every single one, Republicans included, are maxed out on pharmaceutical benefits, okay? Did you guys hear that? Pharmaceutical contributions.
Starting point is 00:29:28 So what I did, we took that knowledge and it's formulated. Go ahead. Did you just hear what she just said? She said that Merk, Mercury, Merck. Merck. What's it called? But what's the name of the whole thing? It's Merck.
Starting point is 00:29:38 Merck, M-E-R-K, the pharmaceutical industry. Merck, the pharmaceutical industry. They couldn't give any more money because they were maxed because of all of the rules about giving money. So they basically blew their wad trying to get this thing done. they did so we took that information and we said well there's only one manufacturer here what does that say to us you're it's a pay to play game now you're paying these legislators to have your product that's mandated that's a guaranteed continued revenue for murk so we highlighted that and said look there's
Starting point is 00:30:08 dark money in politics involved here we highlighted this big issue with not only the problem with the HPV mandate but then also the financial background of it and that really took home to a lot of legislators that thought about like wow you're telling me there's only one manufacturer no they're the ones pushing this it's like yeah they're the ones pushing it so let's really read between the lines here and what's happening and that's one of those like little points that some people kind of over skip you talk about yeah follow the money okay let's really follow the money and get to the bottom of it and that's what we did and posting about it on social media is not going to get to the legislators like you actually have to go to sacramento and show them the numbers yeah we were actually able to
Starting point is 00:30:48 amend that bill so it isn't mandate here in California. So, you know, that was a five-year effort, four-to-five-year effort by that legislator to mandate that. You guys are like change makers, rainmakers, like change-makers. And that's amazing. And they're young and they're cute and they're smart and they're like, and they're easy.
Starting point is 00:31:07 And you speak, do you want to say anything to Latinos in California? Yes, Ponte las pillas. We get involved. I mean, right now. Put your batteries on. And, you know, there's a thing. in Spanish and I grew up with this. Cayadita
Starting point is 00:31:21 than Miras Mazz Bonita and that's not true. Like we have to speak our voice. Being there, sitting there quietly and pretty, you're not cute anymore. Like you're cute when you're out there and you're out of it. No, be loud. Viva la Raza. Yeah. Yes, loud and proud and that's what we have to do and showcase that. It's a bunch of
Starting point is 00:31:37 demographics out here. It's all of us. These children are not just black, white Mexican, they're not Republicans or not Democrats. They're constituents of California that want a better life and to make California a better place for all of us in the future. Okay, on that note, I am Elaine Kalati for The Daily Signal. Please subscribe.
Starting point is 00:31:54 Please like, and most importantly, please comment. I read all the comments. I even read the bad ones. I just want to know what you think, and I want to be better at it, and I want to answer questions, and I want to help, and I want to have solutions. Please like and subscribe to the Daily Signal, and please write a comment.
Starting point is 00:32:10 Thank you. Thank you.

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