It's Time to Take Action
You can make a big difference in just 5 minutes. With FCLCA’s Legislative Action Center, that’s all it takes to learn about the issues and send an email to your elected officials.
We’ll send you important updates on bills and initiatives and how you can speak out.
Become a contributing member »
For just $60 a year ($35 low income) you can celebrate FCLCA’s 60 years of advocacy and support a voice of conscience at the Capitol. Contributions include 4 issues of the FCLCA Newsletter.
Send an email to your elected officials. Follow the bills we are working on in this legislative session.
About Us
The Friends Committee on Legislation (FCLCA) is a nonpartisan, statewide public interest lobby founded by Quakers in 1952. (Quakers are also known as the Religious Society of Friends – that’s where the “Friends” in our name comes from.) Our supporters include people of all backgrounds and beliefs. We advocate for California state laws that are just, compassionate and respectful of the inherent worth of every person. Together, you and FCLCA can bring a voice of conscience to California politics. Here’s how:
We are a multi-issue advocacy organization, especially noted by legislators and legislative staff for our expertise in criminal justice issues.
We are open to everyone who shares our concerns and warmly invite you to join us. Your voice will make a difference! Our ValuesOur work is based on the Quaker testimonies of peace and nonviolence, equality and social justice, integrity, simplicity and community. (Quakers are also known as the Religious Society of Friends – that’s where the “Friends” in our name comes from.) These testimonies are the basis of the legislative issues we address and the policies that guide our work in politics. Read more. We strive everyday to bring these values into the real world of lawmaking. We believe that there is a way to lobby and engage in politics that is also grounded in spirituality. We talk and we also listen, engaging in dialogue even with those we think may not agree with us. We are guided by a belief that there is a “we” beyond the "me." Our AdvocacyIn our sixty-year history as a non-partisan, public interest lobby group we have advocated for:
As a multi-issue organization, we are flexible enough to deal with urgent issues and legislation as they arise. See the bills we’re working on now. We bring a special expertise in lobbying on our focus issue: criminal justice reform. Read more. Our stand on legislation is guided by policy statements approved by our governing body, the FCLCA General Committee. To guide our staff and volunteers, our General Committee sets our legislative priorities before each two-year legislative session. See our 2011-2012 priorities here. We’re committed to becoming even more effective over the next three years. See our strategic goals here. Because the need for a voice of conscience will never go away, we’ve launched the 60 More campaign, to maintain a strong, effective, sustainable organization for the future. Read more. GovernanceWe are governed by a General Committee and a board that includes representatives of Quaker Meetings and churches around the state and at-large members who are both Quakers and non-Quakers. Read more. Our ActivistsOur supporters include volunteer activists who visit, call and write their legislators, gather signatures for the ballot initiatives and decide on the stands we take on legislation and ballot initiatives. We also have an online Action Network of activists who receive Action Alerts that allow them to contact their legislators at the most critical time when laws are being considered. Join our free Action Network. Our Action Center at www.fclca.org gives activists the information they need to easily communicate with decision makers. Take some time to explore the California page. Financial Support
Our sister organization, the FCL Education Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charity, and donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. Our PartnersWe multiply our efforts by working in coalitions like the following: SAFE California Initiative - FCLCA serves on the steering committee on this campaign to replace the Death Penalty. The SAFE California initiative is scheduled for the November 2012 ballot. We work for criminal justice reform through Citizens United for a Responsible Budget (CURB). We support the Fair Sentencing for Youth act and have played an active role in advocating for Senate Bill 9. We support the efforts of the Drug Policy Alliance, ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in passing Senate Bill 1506, which reclassify simple drug possession offenses as misdemeanors. Read more. Outreach to prisonersBecause we are guided by the principle that “there is that of God in everyone,” many times during our history we have called attention to issues affecting those who are marginalized by society. In particular, in our work on criminal justice reform, we have taken positions on legislation affecting prisoners and their families. Over the years, people who are incarcerated have relied on FCLCA to provide information that has not been available to them elsewhere. We currently provide subscriptions to the FCLCA Newsletter free of charge to about 640 prisoners in California’s correctional system. Our practice is to provide a subscription to every prisoner who requests one. We receive new requests every day. If you would like to sponsor a low-income subscription to an incarcerated man or woman (minimum $35), please click here; open drop down menu under “Please direct my donation to” and choose “Sponsor a prisoner subscription.” |
