Dear PERK Members, 

We have an important announcement to make regarding SB866. As you know, the PERK team has been aggressively fighting to stop SB866, the minor consent bill, from becoming law.  Our efforts have included a multi-faceted strategy that we have executed on for over 5 months. 

• We sent over 130,000 digital postcards to tens of thousands of constituents in key Assembly Member Districts.

• We launched an email campaign to all Assembly Members to abstain/oppose the bill.

• We anticipated the bill could quickly move to the Governor’s desk and preempted this with another campaign requesting a veto.

• We have been working closely with groups, including Attorney Nicole Pearson from Facts Law Truth Justice, and have prepared legal analysis, joint rebuttals, and strategic folders.

• We have flown to Sacramento, almost weekly, to fight for you and the children of California.

• We have joined forces on initiatives and projects with many wonderful organizations in unison and with purpose to defeat this bill.

• We have trained and coached many of you for district meetings.  We have provided you resources, talking points, graphics, and materials to support your voice.

• Out of necessity, some strategies have remained confidential to protect our ability to defeat the bill.

• We have led you, the people, with weekly, and sometimes daily calls to action.

 In January, we anticipated some of the California bills, if passed, may require legal action.  We have been preparing for this for 5 months.  Appropriately, the PERK team has alerted organizations who may be best fitted for legal action on certain bills. 

Last month, we were blessed and grateful to work with ICAN, who at a critical juncture with SB866, directed Aaron Siri to send co-sponsored legal letters on behalf of ICAN and PERK.  These legal letters were sent to Governor Newsom, The Assembly Committee on Rules, The Assembly Judiciary Committee, and all Assembly Members.

Though we feel confident that our relentless efforts at the capitol have shifted enough votes away from SB866 to block its passage, we all know how fast things can change inside the California Capitol.  That is why we are excited to announce the following: 

If SB866 passes the Assembly Floor and becomes California Law, ICAN and PERK are prepared to take swift legal action together.  We have kept this confidential until now.  We believe this is the best decision to protect California’s children.  We will work under the direction and leadership of ICAN and their lead counsel, Aaron Siri, who recently won a similar ‘minor consent case’ in Washington D.C.    

Sincerely,

Amy Bohn

PERK President & Co-Founder