Summary

The Policy & Advocacy Task Force held its second meeting on June 28, 2021, and included representatives from multiple sectors interested in resolving the digital divide in the Los Angeles County region. The meeting included confirmation of the common strands that emerged during the first meeting (infrastructure, affordability, digital literacy, policymaker, and community engagement), a review of two legislative bills, and a discussion to identify the process to support/oppose/amend legislation as a collective.

Action Items

• One week before the meeting, send bills up for discussion and vice versa-update the tracking sheet to allow task force members to ID bills they are tracking.

Meeting Notes

• A discussion ensued to determine the best process for the consortium to support, oppose, or amend legislative bills.

• Possible options for taking positions on bills:

• A letter signed by David and Bill that states the LA DEAL supports this bill.

• A letter listing the names of organizations named agreeing on support/opposition without Bill and David’s signature.

• A letter with logos on the letter—this was the more robust option

• Education space with “opt-in” option for members to urge for support.

• Circulate support/oppose/amend letter for task force review and interested organizations sign-on without LA DEAL

• Organizations will review their internal process for taking positions on legislation–the task force will continue this conversation.

The Policy & Advocacy Task Force meets virtually monthly and includes education, health, nonprofit, education, business, city municipalities, and internet service providers. To learn more, visit: ladeal.org/events.

Meeting #3 is scheduled for August 2, 2021.

Updated: Sep 2, 2021