April 24, 2014

(Sacramento Calif. 4/24/14) – This past Tuesday, April 22, nearly 200 Muslims from across California held more than 70 advocacy meetings with elected officials and their staff in Sacramento as part of the third-annual Muslim Day at the Capitol (MDAC) organized by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

SEECAIR-CA Sponsors Muslim Day at the Capitol (ABC/NBC)
Muslim Day at the Capitol 2014 Photo Gallery 

Participants engaged their legislators on three critical issues in efforts to promote just, equitable and progressive policies within the state:

  • AB 1976 and AB 330, which are two bills that seek to make college more affordable for incoming students
  • AB 241 a bill that aims to expand access to health care coverage for all Californians, regardless of immigration status
  • SB 828, which would ban state agencies, officials, employees and corporations that provide services to the state from supporting federal government agencies including the NSA in collecting electronic data from Californians without a warrant

The highlight of the day for many participants was an opening reception on the Senate floor, where they were welcomed by State Senator Ricardo Lara (CA-33), Assembly Members Ed Chau (CA-49) and Sharon Quirk-Silva (CA-65). After conducting their legislative visits, the attendees heard from Assembly Members Christina Garcia (CA-58), Roger Dickinson (CA-7), Betty Yee of the State Board of Equalization, and Deputy Attorney General Maggy Krell.

“For many participants, Muslim Day at the Capitol is the first time they engaged their local lawmakers,” said CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo. “By equipping participants with hands-on experience and knowledge of the legislative process, we hope to galvanize Muslims to play a role in advocating for policies that positively impact California.”

To ensure the success of CAIR’s civic engagement programs, like Muslim Day at the Capitol, kindly make a donation. Your contribution in any amount you can afford will help ensure effective civic engagement programs like Muslim Day at the Capitol! Kindly remember that your donations are tax-deductible.

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