Welcome to the www.Lobbyist.org blog. From the outset, I want you to understand that we appreciate you visiting our site, and hope to provide you with quality information about Lobbying, Legislative Advocacy and Governmental Relations.

As such, I want you to know upfront that this website is designed to accomplish 3 things.
1) To get people like you, the reader, educated, involved and active in the legislative process.
2) To help support, produce and promote involvement and advocacy tools and devices for lobbyists, voters, and consumers.
3) To promote the activities of MCR Public Affairs & Advocacy, a registered lobbying firm in California.

I guess that means that it’s now time for me to introduce myself. My name is Michael Ross, site owner, California native and Registered Legislative Advocate (Feb, 2012 will mark my 35th year in Sacramento) and Educator (since 2004).

With that out of the way, I can now get down to the fun stuff and introduce you to my blog. This blog is designed to provide you with insight and information about lobbying and subjects related to lobbying, legislative advocacy, or governmental relations. Designed for novices and the curious, this material is perfect for clients, those looking for advocates, advocates themselves, educators who want to teach about Legislative Advocacy, and of course, the general public. Subjects to be discussed here include, but are not limited to:

a) The Legislative process – review and insights into states around the country
b) Legislative and local governmental actions from around the country
c) Tips on how to find advocacy jobs
d) Reviews of books, movies, software and productivity tools and other material of interest to Advocates and Budding Advocates
e) A legislative ‘database’ of actual legislative ideas – from Bill Request Forms to actual Language
f) News that you won’t find anywhere else on lobbying, governmental relations and legislative advocacy
g) Specially designed tools that will not only help you find bills of interest, but will help you communicate directly with legislative officials and their staff(s)
h) A “How To” section that will help you create a professional, community based organization in your home town
i) Information about Your letters, action, involvement and impact on the political process and the business community!

I know that covers a lot, but this field is one that’s a relative secret to the public. In fact, one of the largest reasons this site is here is because Lobbyists have such a negative image, that we thought it would be nice to provide some educational material that will help put a positive spin on the field.

Through this blog, we promise to provide you with quality, researched information that’s short, sweet and direct. In fact I hope that we’ll be able to get our thoughts across to you in 3 minutes or less – not every time, but most of the time.

Additionally, we want to help you network, and will be providing and pointing out ways to construct local involvement communities around resolutions, bills, letter writing programs, various issues and any ideas we may get from you. As such, this blog will highlight those actions and their impacts!

On that note, it’s closing time for my first blog. Thank you very much for visiting and reading what I have to say. I look forward to sharing ideas with you often!

Michael Ross, J.D.
P.S. If you have any thoughts, feelings or suggestions that I can help you with or that will make this site and column better, please do not hesitate to contact me personally at: ssorleahcim@comcast.net