The objective of the course is to help students develop a better understanding of how California state legislators actually make voting decisions on legislation. The course examines the tension between “deliberation on the merits,” on the one hand, and “politics and private interest,” on the other hand. Each legislator employs a different combination of deliberation and politics from time to time, depending upon: the specific public policy issue, the legislator’s personal history and relationships with third parties, and the level and nature of interest group/media attention to the issue.
The course examines the tools which advocates (including “lobbyists”) use, preparing students for a mock legislative hearing at the California State Capitol. The course also covers how “non-deliberative” factors could, in practice, impact a legislator’s voting decisions.
Mock Legislative Hearing Competition
Every spring semester the California Lobbying & Politics course taught by Prof. Rex Frazier culminates in a mock legislative hearing competition. Teams of students advocate in support and opposition of a bill being heard in a policy committee as authors, sponsors and stakeholders. They are evaluated for three elements; written advocacy, pre-hearing informal office visits, and formal presentations at the hearing in the Capitol.
Gallery of the 2015 Competition
Gallery of the 2014 Competition
Best Overall Advocate
The student advocate earning the top overall combined score in the three categories above were:
2012
Daniel Conway & Kevin Walkow
2013
Robert Callahan & Stephanie Dowdle
2014
Marissa Shea & Lexi Howard
2015
Amanda Kelly