32. We are the Changemakers we have been waiting for with guest State Controller Malia Cohen

We are the Changemakers we have been waiting for with guest State Controller Malia Cohen

Moderated by Precious Green. With author Kristina Bas Hamilton.

[00:00:00] Thank you all so much for coming to Manny's tonight. My name is Precious Green. I'm our director of community and I get the pleasure and the honor of sitting with our incredible guests tonight because we are all change makers who got their copy of the book.

[00:00:17] Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. So. Tonight, we're going to be talking about the book, but we're going to really just dive in to the experience of being a self described and proud changemaker and how each of us can really advocate on behalf while dancing. All right. So of course, you know, the first guest to my left, the state controller herself, the Malia Cohen, can we get a round of applause?

[00:00:52] And the woman of the hour, our author, Kristina Bas Hamilton.

[00:01:01] I was, uh, telling Samantha, when I first got the book, I have to admit I was really surprised because it's, it's pretty slim. Um, but what's brilliant about that is I appreciate that you get right to the point and you do it in such a conversational way that it feels possible.

[00:01:22] Um, I was joking with, uh, my sister, actually, and I was like, yes, honestly, if I had this when I was taking my AP Civics class, I could've actually, you know, saved a lot of time and premature gray hairs. Um, but tell me, tell us, what inspired, like, why this book, why now? Well, first, let me just say thank you. I am, my heart is.

[00:01:45] I'm so very full, and thanks for coming, it's been a blast. There are people here that I've actually worked in the trenches with, fighting to pass legislation, and so I just am so, I'm just so grateful that you're here, thank you. So the book, so I have been a lobbyist for a number of years, I was blessed when I first moved here from the East Coast to get a position.

[00:02:14] Um, at the United Domestic Workers representing IHSS providers, um, then Family Child Care providers. And, I, I became a lobbyist. It's so funny because like I said in the book, like, if you had asked me, I would have said like, hell no. I, you know, that's like, like I was thinking of like the guy, uh, you know, the smoking cigarettes behind the, you know, the closed door kind of people.

[00:02:36] But then what I realized working at the union was that, well, no, all people really need lobbyists, uh, or all groups of people. because it's just, you know, representing your interests and working people need their interests represented more than a lot of the other folks, you know, running around the Capitol.

[00:02:53] And so doing the work at the, uh, at the union, I would regularly come in contact with just so many wonderful activists coming from different parts of the state. And I just realized like really firsthand that if you come to Sacramento to try to do things and you don't have professional guidance. It's really, really hard, and not just really, really hard, it's near impossible to be successful because it is a very complicated process, a lot happens behind closed doors, if someone's not explaining it to you, it's not, it doesn't come intuitively, and so, I always felt that that was like, really, really wrong, and that actually part of the reason why I chose to We have as many problems as we do in society is because government generally has been closed to most people unless they have money to hire somebody like me.

[00:03:46] So, um, the impetus was giving back to the community and sharing some of the knowledge that I was blessed to attain as, um, as a lobbyist for the union. Excellent. Excellent. So, um, one of the things I noticed is going through this, it really feels like you are talking about. It's about the art and the science of legislative advocacy.

[00:04:10] I saw that note and I was like, Oh, I like that phrasing because lobbying does kind of generate a bit of ick for some people. So legislative advocacy. And so the first chapter really gives us the quick overview of the structure of California government. So the science, if you will. Right.

[00:04:34] Can we call you Malia? We're really casual here. So Malia, you are clearly a part of that and are constitutional officers. So, you know, I think we all, people may have a general idea of what a controller is, but tell us a little bit about that. What do I do? What do I do? First of all, good evening. I'm so glad to see you all.

[00:04:58] And I want to say, Christina, congratulations. This is a huge milestone. It's like birthing a child. It really is. I'm having birth too. Yes, it is. This is such a big deal. Thank you. So I just want to publicly congratulate you. I'm really, really proud of you. I met her when she was working at UW. So I was really honored to be invited to be a part, to participate in this conversation.

[00:05:19] Um, So I grew up here in San Francisco. I'm a graduate of the public school system. I went to Fisk University, HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee. I also earned a master's degree in public policy and management. And earlier, before we got started, I was asked the question, Well, how did you get, find yourself down this pathway?

[00:05:36] And for me, it was always very easy. I started in the third grade. And ran for class president. And luckily I've had a really strong win streak. But, one of the things that I have learned is that people Issues come and go, but people's values generally stay the same. And when I became a San Francisco supervisor, I served for eight years.

[00:06:02] I served the southeastern neighborhoods of San Francisco, Potrero Hill, Visitation Valley, and Dogpatch. And, um, I began to see very quickly how money influenced politics. And I, I, it's a theme that I've seen, but I think it's more perverse in Sacramento. San Francisco is unique because we've got, um, programs in place.

[00:06:27] We have a lot of local rules that require you to have disclosure, who's giving what and how much. The state has the same thing, but it's not as robust. After the Board of Supervisors, I ran to the, to be on the California Board of Equalization, which was my first introduction to statewide politics. And now, uh, uh, And I serve you.

[00:06:50] Thank you very much. Uh, and I serve the state of California, right? So it's 40 million people, and I think what makes me unique as a constitutional officer is I've never served in a legislature. Meaning I've never been an assembly person, and I've never been a state senator. So, almost like as an outsider coming in, one thing that I saw was how there was a, um, uh, an imbalance of power.

[00:07:15] Um, not just power in terms of money, but also information. Who had access? And I certainly campaigned on bringing more equity to just public life. One of, one of these ways of doing that is this book. Making sure people have the ability to advocate on their own behalf. You don't need a lobbyist, but it is helpful.

[00:07:37] It is very helpful to say, Hey, this is what I want to get done. Go figure it out. And successful, the good ones, actually are able to do it and move legislation and move, or block legislation, for that matter. Move money, or block money from being moved. So it's an incredibly powerful position. So this conversation really is about a power shift.

[00:07:56] Really, what we'd like to do is to shift it from a small group, class of people, into more the masses. Is of everyone, uh, like folks like, like yourself. In this room, the state controller is responsible for auditing the, uh, the state books tax dollars, keeping, keeping an accurate record of where each and every dollar is spent.

[00:08:16] I am the other side of the coin. The um, and the other side of the coin is the state treasurer. The treasurer brings money in the state controller's in charge of sending the money out. Both of us are responsible for reconciliation of the books, but we write the checks. I pay state employees, I pay retirees, I make sure that the investments on the retirement funds are balanced and sound, um, and fair, not, um, uh, sacrificing workers are key principles, um, that, uh, labor has, communities of color, making sure that they're representative, making sure that women and, and the LGBT community can also invest in.

[00:08:53] Have a robust life in the state of California. That's a really long answer, but the control is a very important job. Let me tell you this, this is a black history month. So it took 172 years for a black woman to hold it for an African American.

[00:09:15] We're talking about managing the fourth largest economy in the world. And so that's a lot of money. That's a lot of, a lot of people. That's a lot of, uh, moving parts. I sit on 70 different boards and commissions and I, and I, I guarantee the work that I do intersects your life. If you got a tax return, you're very welcome.

[00:09:32] I signed that check. And there should be no error. It should be paid in full and on time. And, uh, for those of you that haven't paid, don't worry, there's still time. Um, but I chair the Franchise Tax Board. I'm on the Coastal Commission. I, um, deal with, um, a lot of environmental issues. I, uh, deal with, um, making sure that there's no fraud, tax fraud.

[00:09:52] And if there are, we go after them, we prosecute them. So It's a lot, a lot, a lot happening. I'll weave it in throughout, but tonight is a very special moment. I'm happy to be here to share it with you.

[00:10:09] So we're going to find a segue. Yeah, I know. Don't ask me what I can do. Dominate. But actually it does segue very nicely to talking about the art of legacy because it's The second chapter of the book is thinking through your proposal, thinking through what you want to do. And one of the things that comes to mind is so many of us have great ideas.

[00:10:34] So many of us think we have great ideas. That part. Okay, would you agree? Oh yeah, no one else has ever thought of it before. Right. So we have to put that little caveat. I know it's a great idea to you. Yes. Just like your child is probably the best child in the whole world. Go ahead, Precious. Okay. So let's talk a little bit about, you know, the blind spots that pop up early in the process.

[00:10:59] Um, what are some of the key things or what are some of the key areas that you and your profession and you kind of on the back end managing the money going out to pay for the different laws should become laws and programs. What are some of the things that you all see that these passionate people are missing?

[00:11:20] I would say In general, my biggest piece of advice to advocates is, or I would say, what I see missing most, especially when it comes to folks who don't live and breathe the capital, is a lack of clarity around who controls what. Who actually has power to make a decision to do the thing you want to happen?

[00:11:45] And a lot of that, I'm not placing blame on the person. I think it's because government is complicated. And, you know, as the first chapter, it goes into, well, then you got the constitutional officers and there's a controller and guess what, there's a treasurer too, and, you know, and one does this and the other one does that.

[00:12:02] But, um, the number one piece of advice that I give advocates is just clarity. What exactly are you trying to do? Who has the decision making power? What do they care about? Who else is in the landscape of your arena who wants the status quo to continue? And just being clear on all of those pieces before you start going out and having your meetings.

[00:12:27] Because what I, what I know is true and you know it's one of the things that kind of prompted the book in the first place was, you know, hearing from staffers in the building, you know, committee consultants, they have these meetings with these advocates and first off, you know, they have 20 minutes. They, they spent 15 talking about something else.

[00:12:46] Then they have five minutes left and the meeting ends and the advocate never actually asked them to do anything. They just had a meeting and, and think they accomplished something and feel like they walked away. Well, we had this meeting and it's like, well, what came of the meeting? Like what, what did you ask?

[00:13:03] What did you want them to do? And it sounds so like, oh, well, common sense, of course you need to know what you want somebody to do, but actually it's not often common sense. To be like, when I'm going into this process, when I am going to the Capitol, when I'm having these conversations, I am crystal clear on who that person is, how much power do they have, do they have anything to do with what it is that you're talking about?

[00:13:26] And, you know, and I say this, Again, not as a critique because you will be giving people to talk to who have nothing to do with what you talk about or what you care about. Like, that's a strategy, right? You know, people come and I don't want to deal with them. I'm going to give them over here to, you know, somebody who's just going to look at them blankly, right?

[00:13:46] And they had their meeting. So they got their meeting, but the meeting actually never resulted in anything. So I would say clarity, clarity, clarity, clarity is 50 percent of the struggle right there. So that you then can focus your efforts around, you know, who is the decision maker, what influences them, who, who cares about the status quo, who's going to fight me in changing the status quo.

[00:14:12] And then I make my strategy and I build my tactics after that. May I interject here? So I just wanted to paint a picture on, like, how the dynamic works. She's a lobbyist, or she's representing someone's interests. I, as a policymaker, would receive her into the office and we would sit down, literally, like you said, between 20 and 30 minutes.

[00:14:33] Those are the things that I'm listening. I'm thinking, how much time is this going to cost me? How much political capital is this going to cost me? How much money is this going to cost me? How many hours in public comment am I going to sit and listen to? If you're from San Francisco, you know what I'm talking about.

[00:14:48] Um, and, and, Who am I going to piss off? Yes, exactly. What, what are the, um, what are, what's the unintended consequences? What are the laws that are in place? How, how am I going to get to six votes, at least, you know, I'm thinking in San Francisco, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, but larger on the statewide level.

[00:15:04] Can I get my votes? Are there allies that I can, uh, begin to develop relationships with? So when you are making your presentation or your pitch, if you will, these are the things that you need to be cognizant of as a decision maker, what I'm listening for. Um, and, And a lot of the times, you're trying to sift through what do they even ask, what are they even wanting you to do?

[00:15:28] Because I say this in the book, this isn't like read between the lines and guess what I'm asking, right? Like, this isn't like you're automatically just gonna know because I am so, you know, this issue is just so righteous that you just know what it is that I need you to do. These folks, like Malia, are talking to hundreds of people on different issues all the time.

[00:15:50] And remember, you're the expert coming in, oftentimes informing the decision maker. Why this is important for the state of California, why this is important for women, why this is important for communities of color. That is kind of the angle, what you need to be thinking about when you're trying to bring about change.

[00:16:08] But it also seems like having that clarity, you have the passion for the issue, you're coming into these offices with that clarity, that would boost your confidence and make your argument even more compelling. Right? Well, you would use your time better. Yes. Yeah. And they would understand, like, okay, this is what you want me to do.

[00:16:28] Right. I mean, one of the things I was really surprised, you know, reading through the book, one of the notes that you point out people should keep track of, because I think I subtitled chapter two, do your homework. Yes. One of the points is, can the California state government actually fix this? Or is this a federal question?

[00:16:48] And I was, to my mind, like, oh, yeah, duh, but yeah. People don't, people don't know, don't know. And the truth of the matter is it's probably complex. There's a lot of cross jurisdiction oversight, um, intermingling, oftentimes. Yeah, and, and, and what does the law say? Does the law already exist? And maybe it's just never actually been applied.

[00:17:11] In which case, your, your struggle is going to be a lot better. Or not better, it's going to be easier because you don't have to pass legislation. You just need to. Well, I take that back. It probably wouldn't be easier. There's a reason why it hasn't been applied. But, like, you gotta focus on where the problem is, versus, I think we need to pass legislation.

[00:17:28] Everybody wants to pass legislation, and I get it, and I'm not demeaning that at all, but sometimes you actually don't have to. Oftentimes, legislation passes and never gets enforced. Well, that's very frequent, unfortunately. Oh, wow. Um, and so that, you guys are great with the segues, because chapter three is building support.

[00:17:48] And my subtitle for that was make friends. Um, and so, what you're, the task that you all are talking about sounds enormous. It is. Wow, that laugh. There are people in this room who can attest to how enormous that task is. Yes. Like, just kind of ballpark. Let's say I have an issue and I, you know, I have an issue.

[00:18:18] Pick your issue up. And I, you know, I read the book or I'm just in the process. How would you say people, change makers, need to sort of brace themselves for? From idea to, if you're lucky, governor's desk, signage, and then the check comes from you. That's really the end point. The check coming from you. So for frame of reference, there are policies that took 20 years to pass.

[00:18:46] That's an extreme. But, If you are talking about real big, bold stuff, like CalWorks, Healthcare for All, um, you know, things that change the narrative around a policy issue that has been in place for decades, you are not in one year. I mean, maybe, I'm not saying it's not possible, but be prepared that this is a multi year effort.

[00:19:17] And that's also part of it, too, is like, being in it for the long haul, and, you know, and it speaks to, like, organizations that are, are, you know, they represent the community, they're, they're from the grassroots, and you need resources to sustain this for multiple years, right? You need to pay people to do and come in and do all these, like, really high sophisticated things and keep paying them.

[00:19:40] It's not just, uh, uh, eight months or six months. But that's, you know, we like to say, and I say this in the book, policies need to marinate. You know, you're talking about psychology, you're talking about, people need to sit with things. They need to think about, it's the Overton window. You're not on one, you know, gonna come in and say, Hey, let me tell you, I think we need to restructure and this is gonna be, you know, and they do it in Denmark and it's awesome.

[00:20:06] You know, like, It's just, you know, you're talking about people who are ingrained in a certain belief and systems that they were taught their whole life and you're trying to dismantle a way of thinking. There are also some elements of the book that, um, Christina highlights That is also relevant to educating voters for the most part.

[00:20:30] It's about the legislative process. But part of the legislative process is the electoral process. So you can come up with a policy idea. If it doesn't fly in the legislature, you can bring it to voters yourself through the initiative process. But doing that is you are and you have to educate why Prop 16 isn't good for California anymore.

[00:20:51] Why we need to revisit, um, some of the other, Longstanding propositions that, that have been around since the seventies. Um, and that definitely takes time and money because you, you're bringing about change, but you're talking about something, a new concept. And, um, think about same sex marriages. Mm-Hmm.

[00:21:10] Think about how long, how long it still taken for same sex marriages to be recognized. It's a cultural change. That's right. It's, it's cultural. It's cultural. I mean, your children hear it. And they have no problem with accepting it. That's right. And then they grow up and now they're able to vote. That's right.

[00:21:26] And that is when you start to see the change. So, change is, uh, being a change maker is really, you gotta be in it for the long haul. It is not an easy place to, um, to, to, to make, to, to, to make change, to make change happen. It's not easy, but it is, it's worthwhile. And if you think about it, when you leave this earth, you have made change.

[00:21:45] And I think that that's all of our calling in life. To leave this place better than where, how we found it. Yeah. Well, I, I, I talk a lot about culture change. So I have a podcast, um, I would love for you all to check it out. It, it, the name is on the, on the poster there in the back. But one of the episodes, I, I interviewed Mayor Michael Tubbs and we talked about narrative change around poverty.

[00:22:08] And, you know, this way that society and, and, and, considers poor people. We all know the tropes. We all grew up with it. You know, I'm a child of the 80s. I remember Jerry Springer and the whole thing, right? And dismantling these narratives, many of which have existed for centuries, is not going to happen in one year, two years.

[00:22:33] You know, and a lot of the times what I would say to advocates is before you even get to the legislature, It's the work of narrative change. It's the work of culture change. You have to create the conditions that these folks are comfortable making hard votes, where they are not hard votes anymore. I mean, here's the thing, right, we're in California, so like, I often chuckle, because I'm like, my parents, well, my, my mom lives in Florida, and, uh, she always says, can't you come and move to Florida and, and, And just like, bring your business here.

[00:23:06] And I'm like, I don't really think I would be doing a good job in Florida. Like, I just can't pick up and be a lobbyist in Florida. She, you know, and I try to explain it but it doesn't work. But like, it makes me laugh because in California, like, you walk in and you've got, you know, your, your, you know, your rainbow flags and like, you know, si se puede and, you know, immigration reform and the whole thing.

[00:23:30] There is a acceptance of so many things in California. I mean the governor alone. Yeah, Florida governor. Don't even. He's crazy. Did your mom watch that debate by any chance? No, she's kind of at an age where she's tuned it all out. Oh my gosh, she's brilliant. Yeah. But, um, But, you know, I think in the end, what we have to appreciate is where we got to in California.

[00:23:56] We got to get the rest of the country there on a lot of the issues. But even within California, we like to say we're so damn progressive. I can tell you, there are certain things, I'm looking at my friend Mr. Zitron right there. There are certain things where business, actually I take that back, there are a lot of things.

[00:24:13] That the chamber will come in, they'll put you on their job killer list, and you're lost. Come on, she's preaching now, ladies and gentlemen. I'm just speaking truth. You know, a Democrat is not a Democrat all the time. It's not universal blue. No, and it's shades of blue. And the reality is, so, we've made a lot of progress.

[00:24:31] The progress has a lot to do with culture and shifts in what the public is willing to accept and what is acceptable and what they want. Which then gives the courage to the lawmakers to take the hard vote. And then there's the process of, when the public isn't there yet, and you're the one in the vanguard trying to change, you know, you're trying to push the lawmakers, maybe their public isn't quite there yet.

[00:24:55] There's so many different elements in which advocacy happens. It's outside the building, it's inside the building, but all of which is to understand you're dealing with 120 individuals that are human beings. They'll want to be re elected, that have all sorts of reasons why they do what they do, maybe they're And do what they don't do.

[00:25:14] And there's, there's inside, you know, they're pissed at the other person because something happened and you'll never know what it was, but guess what? They'll never vote yes on your bill. I'm not even kidding, because so and so is the author and they are angry about something that happened. Like, you are dealing with 120 people with 120 different things going on in their minds And, you know, I would say one of the biggest sort of points in the book is pure righteousness is not enough.

[00:25:44] You know, you, you can just be convinced it's the right thing to do. What's the problem? But it, politics doesn't work that way, even in California, especially in California.

[00:25:56] Sorry. I mean, facts, I'm just going to, yeah, um, So thinking this through, and I'm glad you touched on, you know, the narrative. Oh my god, this is like, it's so new to me, but the work that has to be done before you even get in the car and get out to Sacramento. Um, and obviously thinking and planning for the long game, we're talking about building coalitions before you even start thinking about who you want to tag in as the author and your champions.

[00:26:26] Can you all talk a little bit about, uh, some of the, I guess, The more creative coalition building that you've seen, or like that, again, that small group with the idea, knowing, okay, we have to be scrappy. Right. Some great examples. Well, I'd love to hear from the controller, like advocacy, advocacy that you've seen that has impressed you.

[00:26:47] Like these people really are moving the dial on this. Oh, advocacy, advocacy. That's impressed me. I have to say it might be my own. Because we've done some things and people said we couldn't do it. Passing the soda tax in San Francisco. Okay. Restricting the sales of flavored tobacco in San Francisco. Okay.

[00:27:08] Um, um, Coalition building is absolutely critical to get, I think, anything done. Um, because the larger, the broader the coalition, the more people that you're actually touching. You're educating and then they themselves go out and recruit or share the message. So, When I build teams, even when I'm building a campaign staff team, uh, or, uh, executive staff, any team that I'm building, I am building to where I'm, where my weaknesses are.

[00:27:42] I don't speak Chinese. So, yeah, I'm hiring a Chinese speaker. Um, you know, and in different parts of the state, different parts of the state, absolutely. And so, just, I think, the way, Communities of color and women have really been able to make such strides has to do with building a coalition. If you take anything home, a coalition, you can be a one woman amazing machine, but you will be even more phenomenal if you have a broad base.

[00:28:14] Well, when, so one of the things I used to say at, uh, union meetings when, when, you know, cause you have to explain why do you need, you know, why do you have a union? Why are we paying dues, right? Like, one of the things that I always kind of chuckled on and told as a story is, listen, you start walking in the halls of the capitol, you're going to meet the Christmas Tree Association people, the, you know, the plastic bottle, I'm not kidding, the plastic bottle association, you're going to have the, the health care and there's probably five different versions of them.

[00:28:45] One is the local version, one is the commercial plans, everyone bands together to represent their interests. One lone warrior isn't going to do it. It's all about banding together, finding people who are sharing your interests, and even if it's just on this one tiny little issue, and I'll tell you why that's important.

[00:29:05] Two things. Your representative is one vote. You need 41 in the Assembly and 21 in the Senate. So you gotta find people in other parts of the state to get their folks to be voting, right? So you gotta be, you gotta be networked. The other thing is that when these members, and, and, You know, and this is just a critique I think a lot of people have.

[00:29:27] I, I want to say someone told me that over 3, 000 bills were introduced. We just had introduction deadline last Friday. Over 3, 000 bills, that's like a wild huge increase from the last even three, four years. So imagine that, that lawmaker has 0. 5 seconds to look, which is, I would argue, I have a big, big, Critique on, I think we need bill limits, but that's a whole other story.

[00:29:52] Bill limits on how many bills members can introduce. Because what happens is there's not enough time to read and really sink your teeth into the bill that's in front of you. So the coal, going back to coalitions, one of the things that they do is they look on the support list. Who's on board because that name of that organization, assuming this is an organization with integrity, With good standing, right?

[00:30:17] An organization that has endorsed you. Or it's a signal to you. Where's the EJ community? There's the five groups that pretty much in Sacramento represents EJ. Okay, so like, those groups being on board are signals to them that allow them To give them the courage to take the vote because they see you've done your work.

[00:30:41] Because what they don't want to say, what you don't want them to say is, Where is so and so on this? Where is so and so on this? Because you want to package it up so that they can see you did, you did, you did your thing. This group is okay, that group is okay, that group is okay, okay. I feel comfortable.

[00:30:57] Sometimes you, you, I've seen bad legislation passed because no one read it. Or worse, they read it but didn't understand it. Didn't understand how it would impact people. I feel comfortable. But it's true when you talk about coalition, like where is SEIU? Where are the teachers on this? Yeah, where's the faculty?

[00:31:15] Okay, so the teachers are here, but the faculty association is over here. And so, there's a discrepancy. So you have labor and education, but they're split. But I know it's a signal to me to read a little bit more closely. You're like, I'm not going to step in the middle of that. Right, you read a little bit more closely or you stay off of it.

[00:31:32] Exactly. So, kind of. Diving in, I mean, nationally, our politics are incredibly polarized. And what fascinates me about a lot of our politics here in California, particularly San Francisco, is we're deep blue, we're indigo blue, we're like midnight blue. But still, there are so many splits and so much polarization.

[00:31:57] Like, it's just I'm from Georgia, so I am often having to translate what happens here to my parents who are like struggling with the fact that they are now in Marjorie Taylor Greene's district. Exactly. So, needless to say, my mother's a little salty, but do you find that, are the, is the issues such, like, is that polarization?

[00:32:25] Is it playing a part, the California version of polarization, is it playing a part at all with some of the changemakers that you're working with and what you're seeing on the ground? Absolutely. It's just, it's a different, it's shades of blue here. Public safety is a big deal right now. You have a lot of members who are talking about repealing Prop 47.

[00:32:48] And that is a ideological schism, California style. Right there. And that exists on so many issues. That's why, you know, and folks might know this, right? Fundraising to do activism in California, a lot of these, like, you know, people with money are like, oh no, Congress, right? Or like, California is great, we're focusing on Florida.

[00:33:10] And it's like, hmm, but are we though? Because the reality is there is so much more progress we could be making on so many things, like health care for all, like climate change, like, you know, But we've got to be clear, like, ideological struggle exists, it's just a different, different way to look at it, I guess you could say.

[00:33:29] Is there, I mean, I know it's a super majority, but do any organizations pay attention to the Republican? I mean, basically wacky stuff. That is such a good question. Okay, so, we've got to delve into history a little bit here. So, I want to say roughly 10 years ago, the voters passed Prop 25. Which changed the budget from a super majority to a majority vote.

[00:33:56] Why is that important? Because even though Republicans were underrepresented in the legislature, because super majorities, this is before the Democratic super majorities, they were one of the big five. They were big five. It was the minority leader of both houses, majority leader of the governor. Um, when that changed to become a simple majority, effectively Republicans.

[00:34:21] You don't need their vote for anything budget related and now even on tax and fee anything requiring a two thirds. I mean, you don't, you just don't. But yes, they are important.

[00:34:39] She represents all of California. The short answer is yes, everybody's important. Green party, independence, Do mind estate, peace and freedoms. I can go on. I'm sorry, . So bringing it back to your work, how does the office of the controller, you know, obviously as you said, you write the checks. Yeah. How are you a part of this change, this absolute process?

[00:35:10] You talking about policy? Am I a policy maker? Mm-Hmm, absolutely. So I think the big thing is what people can mentally picture and grasp. is receiving their tax return, so they can, or their paycheck. Um, but we do a lot more, um, and an example of it is we, we run a property tax postponement program for seniors.

[00:35:35] Seniors that are not able to pay their property taxes, we have money from the legislature that allows us to, uh, pay their taxes or, um, um, pay part of their taxes. And that is, that's an important program. That's a policy. So, legislation was written and passed. We advocate for money in the budget to continue to move this, uh, policy initiative forward.

[00:35:59] Um, and we are working on several different pieces. So I partner with, uh, members of the legislature in order to get, uh, uh, uh, my legislative agenda moving forward. As a constitutional officer, I do, I cannot do it without partnership. So again, going back to the point that we were driving home earlier about the importance of building a coalition.

[00:36:20] Yeah. Yeah. I think it's so interesting because again, back to the book, um, really back to the chapter about, you know, do your work, think through a lot of chain or a lot of advocacy actually could be addressed with regulatory. That's exactly right. So, yeah. So what the state controller does do. And the other one is, uh, and correct me if I'm wrong, is issue regulations and things relating to the purview of your, your work.

[00:36:46] And, you know, going back to the book, it may be that the change you're seeking can be accomplished that way. In which case, Malia Cohen becomes your, your goddess because you're like, please change the regulation to make it be the way that I want. But I'm not kidding, it's called regulatory lobbying, which, you know, ostensibly is a lot easier than getting 41 votes, 21 votes, and then the governor's signature.

[00:37:08] Right. Um, and that goes back to doing your homework, exactly, right? Because there are each, each officer, even each agency, non elected people appointed by the governor, they all are issuing regulations that are implementing the bills that the legislature is passing. So, there's a lot of control and power there as well.

[00:37:29] So, um, I love this conversation, like, you prepare, you read, you have your questions, and then if you're lucky, Your guests answer the questions you were anticipating five questions later, and that's what you all have done for me, so thank you all so much.