[Music]
really excited to be here today talking
some repair org and right to repair
issues with our local Assemblyman Jordan
Cunningham and Jordan thanks for so much
for joining us it's really a pleasure
thanks for having me Dan absolutely yeah
so my name is Dan revoir I work with the
iFixit pro team here at iFixit and we
were heavily involved in repaired org
type issues and we're just really trying
to do our best to help local community
members business owners repair shop
owners DIY ORS learn about the political
process and how to engage and so we're
really honored to be able to have your
presence here kind of bounce a couple of
ideas off of you questions about how to
engage what sort of advocacy activities
work and we really look forward to
learning a little bit from you through
this process thanks Dan I don't want to
hop into a couple couple of questions
that we hear often from repair shop
owners that are in the iFixit Pro
Network who are helping with the
repaired org mission and really we're
just trying to like learn how accessible
you are so you guys can be a little
intimidating and I think folks are
scared to talk to us news to me yeah
it's weird right because you're sitting
there thinking hey I'm a normal guy I've
been talking to my neighbors for years
this is my life it's no big deal but for
some reason that flips upside down when
you talk to folks out there in the world
so the first question we've got is many
people think their voice they many
people may not think their voice matters
with their legislature is that true how
do they how do they get in touch with
you I don't think it's true at all and
you know it's actually quite the quite
the reverse you know when we're
representing a district a city whatever
it is in my case in a region of four
hundred and seventy five thousand people
I know from San Miguel down to Lompoc I
mean it's 100 miles north to south a lot
of people big area you know I'm trying
to figure out on especially on tricky
issues you know you want to make good
policy but you want to represent the
people you're there to represent yeah
and that requires getting input from
them you mentioned like Facebook email
some of the different mechanisms to
reach out and I think it's important for
folks to just realize whatever means is
easiest the most
for them is probably the right means
right they can get my foot that can come
to your office if they request a meeting
they'll get it you know emails work and
you know we talk a lot with folks we've
been running a big campaigns trying to
motivate folks to email in and so
there's definitely some concern about
whether or not those types of
coordinated efforts become spammy to
your office do you guys experience that
what's your take on let's say a large
barrage of messages from cloaks what
what makes it work the best that should
they put in a personal note should yeah
yeah of course right if you get if
there's a big contentious bill coming up
and you get 190 emails that all are
essentially form emails sure like you
know that people are working that right
other there ginning up the grassroots
and all that and that's fine it doesn't
mean right doesn't mean you don't
consider it or read it and take it into
account but yeah I think the more
personal contact the better okay we've
seen a couple of shop owners do a really
good job articulating you know like I
mentioned earlier when we were chatting
how they found economic success by
starting their own business right like
that really is a powerful message and if
their business is being stifled by a
large corporation who doesn't want to
have competition that probably resonates
I think with a lot of electeds who want
to help the businesses in their
community so that's right that's that's
great um
and a lot of us are in this to help
people like that absolutely yeah
well I mean we're the same people right
if you're you know Walmart or Costco I
mean you know here you're gonna be
alright
I mean imagine it you can kind of absorb
regulation you can hire a lawyer some
lobbyists that it's it's really the
small business owner that has to be
represented I think and and the effect
on things we do in Sacramento needs
needs to be carefully considered on
small business right you represent the
voice amplify the voice that is
otherwise kind of the quietest one
because they don't have the ability to
amplify it on their own unlike some of
these larger classes I mean every
corporation has a lobbyist okay every
single one yeah so that's a good segue
actually to the next kind of area
questions one is if I wanted to
introduce a bill in my state what should
I do
can an individual have an effect on like
specific legislation a lot of some of
our best bill ideas are things that come
from the district people bring it in
they encountered this or that problem so
yes you can affect it some of the best
bill ideas come from the district and
the best way probably is to reach out to
the you know the point of contact for in
my case my district director here in San
Luis Obispo okay and then we can work it
up the chain yeah so there are side ways
to the Capitol right under there's
there's layers of staff some of which
are in district and are immediately
accessible to folks and I think it's
important to know if you're out there
that you can look up you know your local
elected and your state legislature and
figure out who the local person is who's
in the district at the office there
build a relationship with that person
and you know I think you'll find that
maybe you know you feel even more at
ease with them meeting and then they'll
introduce you to the elected official
and then it kind of grows from there and
that's really a good I think a good
process and that's what they're for
every legislator has sort of two offices
one a Capitol office and a district
office okay and big districts you have
more than one district office and the
the folk staff in the district office
are there for constituent services yeah
and that is the reason they're there to
help people with problems with the state
to pass ideas along to their legislature
and when we're in session were you know
the elected officials we're sort of
split between two different places
because we're up and sacramental quite a
bit right and so you know the district
level office is the best point of
contact and you know they have very very
good staff they're very attentive and we
are as accessible and open as we
possibly can be we talked a bit about
kind of the larger businesses and how
they have a position of strength and so
how do you feel personally when non
constituents like corporations or trade
groups sometimes grassroots lobbies so
repaired org is kind of in this picture
a little bit but it's ultimately kind of
built up by by individuals in a district
so how do you feel like when a lobbyist
comes to talk to you versus a group of
grassroots people how does that
experience differ and does it matter
having a huge group of people come
forward like should we ensure that
50 small business owners from from our
district come and meet with you or is it
help to have sort of one person be a
spokesperson for the larger group so it
came by two-part question I guess how
does it work corporations and what about
the grassroots side it can be it can be
both I think you need to sort of the
best strategy for influencing there's
sort of two parts to it one is how how
do you want me to vote on certain bills
that I'm voting on right and the other
is if I'm carrying legislation how do
you build the coalition and present the
legislation and policy committee and all
that sort of thing it's sort of a
two-part two front battle I guess but as
far as you know look every every
corporation has a lobbyist we have a
very large state government I mean
relative to other states it's a large
state I mean California these are the
size of the nation's the sixth largest
economy and more people in California
they do in Canada right I mean it's you
know it's a big big state government so
whenever it's just sort of part of the
the world that you know you're going to
have the people that are being regulated
you know are going to have advocates for
them I mean that's and it is part of the
First Amendment or any of the right to
petition for redress of grievances are
the government so that's I don't view
lobbying is some dirty bad thing but I
will say this for me personally
the California Small Business
Association that NFIB National
Federation in the pin of it you know the
groups that sort of speak for the
smaller lesser heard voices I guess for
lack of a better term for for the small
businesses there is strength in numbers
I'd say that and especially if you are
trying to advocate for a bill or a
policy change in a formal committee
hearing you know there is definitely
strength in numbers and there is
strengthen you know if you paraded 50
small business owners up that all
briefly told a personal story and
support of the bill it can it can really
influence people's vote great cool what
kind of relationship do you have with
local businesses you've talked a little
bit about your background your
perspective but
how does it work in district are you
willing to go visit one of these repair
shops if they want to maybe you know
give you an actual experience of the
story rather than just telling you
telling it to you they want to show you
around their shop that's something
you're willing to do I've in my campaign
last cycle like two or 50 local
businesses and 50 working days okay so
that's just kind of part of what I was
doing to get this job and I don't I
don't intend on it stopping my times a
little more crunch needs to be sure but
you know I think too many businesses is
for this it's fun first of all you learn
a ton about again I don't know I know a
lot of I know a lot about a few things
but you know I need to I need to learn
about all sorts of things sure you can
you hear the personal story you get to
meet employees I mean it's just a really
fun thing to do so we're coming up on
time but I really just wanted to say
thanks again we're very excited to hear
about different ways that folks can get
involved we want to remind everybody out
there that they can get in touch with
you by the means that is easiest for
them they can email they can use social
media right they can tweet they can make
a Facebook post on your page or send a
message to you guys through that those
means work phone calls are great meeting
in district with folks is really easy if
you're more comfortable with the
one-on-one you guys are accessible and
that's important for all the repaired
org members to understand they can reach
out that's that's an easy thing to do
when it comes to legislation if we know
about specific bill language and things
we should share that with you you could
we should get your team looking at that
stuff so they can understand what
specific policy changes we're talking
about so you can understand how it fits
into your world and then ultimately we
need to share our stories and talk about
our business success talk about why why
right to repair it's important to us and
if we get the chance and we're lucky
enough when you're available on a Friday
or we can time it with the legislative
cycle when you're in district for a
greater amount of time show you
firsthand with a shop slip play I'm
excited about what you guys are doing
I'm glad to hear your
you're more engaged I think those voices
need to be heard in the system because
you know not to name any particular
hardware manufacturer but you know I
have an iPhone I think it's quite great
product but you know their voices are
getting heard other sure sure you have
to worry about that but you know you
guys getting involved in the process is
important and exciting you know we're
here to work for you and you know we're
here to solve problems for the districts
and I think what what is a unique this
district in addition to being the
greatest place to live in America and my
biased I'm with you on Bolton it is also
a neat district in that we really are a
small business centered community we
really rely on that for our job growth
and we have a lot of exciting things
going on in terms of you know
agriculture wine tourism and tech and
you know with Cal Poly and they we have
exponential growth potential here so I'm
excited to watch that happen and to try
to play a positive role in helping it
happen great well we really appreciate
that perspective I think that was
probably shared by many of our our
repair shop owners and other districts
around the United States and we really
hope that we're always lucky to have
someone like you serve in nearby and
somebody easy to talk to and hopefully
more and more of our folks aren't able
to engage in the legislative process
well thanks Dan thanks you absolutely
you