HIP Convening Offers State Government Advocacy Training

The California Latino Age Wave Initiative offered hands-on training earlier this month in effecting change at the legislative and regulatory levels of state government when it met in Sacramento for a two-day training for the program’s six California grantees and three fellows. The convening took place in Sacramento on March 31 and April 1, preceded by a webinar led by HIP consultant Yali Bair. Bair organized a series of briefings at the convenings to introduce participants to experts in the procedures and steps through which legislation is submitted before becoming law or, quite often, being killed in a budget committee. The regulatory process that determines how legislation is implemented is also a valuable  point of influence for advocates, convening speakers stressed. The convening culminated in an afternoon at the California State Capitol. Grantees and fellows observed a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care Hearing, where several pieces of legislation were considered. The committee then held an informational hearing on “Faces of Aging: Aging and the Latino Community,” at which Alicia Hernández Sánchez, associate director of HIP grantee Central Coast Center for Independent Living, was one of several speakers. After the hearing some members of the group went to discuss aid for Latino seniors with their hometown legislators. The California Latino Age Wave Initiative is part of HIP’s Focused Initiative on Aging and receives funding from The Scan Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, and The Atlantic Philanthropies, among others.