Communicating with your governmental representatives has never been easier than during the Age of COVID-19. Whether alleviating fears or informing constituents about where to access the COVID-19 vaccine, your representatives are there to help you during these trying times.
I was able to attend quite a number of Zoom meetings for the local school districts about local issues and land development. In February 2020, I attended an in-person school board meeting in which I had to make arrangements so that I could attend the meeting in-person. In contrast, post-Pandemic meetings are convenient, as they can be attended easily with a wifi connection and little to no arrangements.
Because of the Pandemic, I noticed that many people could now attend, quite anonymously, as people often had their screens turned off and voices muted. Following are links to communicating with your government representatives.
San Jose City Council
I attended a City Council meeting to celebrate my child's marching band program a few months before the pandemic started. The proceedings were very dignified, including meet and greets, speeches and voting on various issues. The teens were suitably mollified by the auditorium seating of the City Council and the formal procedures.
If the City has a concern that may involve you, they will send a postcard to your address letting you know several weeks in advance of a Zoom meeting.
If you would like to reach your City Councilperson, go to the City's website and select the Your Government tab.
- Determine who your City Councilperson is by looking at this interactive map, which should indicate your District by entering your residential address.
- Find your Mayor or Councilperson.
There is a table on the right that indicates how you can contact each person.
Contacting the State Government
Choosing who to communicate with depends upon your issue. Find the Government tab.
Like the Federal Government, the State Government is split into three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
You can contact the Governor, currently Gavin Newsom.
If you would like to inquire about laws, you can contact your Legislator. Like the Federal Government, California's Legislature is bicameral and divided into:
- Lower House: State Assembly
- Upper House: State Senate
To find both your Assemblyperson and your Senator, you can enter your address.
Contacting the Federal Government
The Federal Government is conveniently organized online through USA.gov, a depository of information for all aspects of the Federal Government. USA.gov is the official guide for the Federal Government.
The three branches of the Federal Government is split into:
- Executive Branch
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Legislative Branch, which is split into:
- House of Representatives: state representatives are determined by the Census. Because California's population has decreased since the last 2010 Census, California has lost a representative, so it will be losing a member of its delegation: 53 to 52. You can find your representative by zip code.
- Senate: each state has 2 senators, so you can find your senators by state.
- Judicial
If you correspond with your representative, you may be invited to a Town Hall. Voicing your concerns during the pandemic has never been easier, as my representative is holding weekly Town Halls on Zoom, for instance. You can often request an informative weekly newsletter from your representative in order to keep up with any new information, like vaccine distribution.
If you have any questions, please send me a comment below!
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