Day 3: PANEL: Federal Advocacy: Championing Megafire Communities and Raising Awareness in DC
“How you frame your argument is how you get them to listen.” —Jeff Okrepkie
“We’re willing to help anybody out that is going through this now or in the future.” —Steve Crowder
“There’s no playbook when it comes to a wildfire… Be ready, because you know this is going to impact you at some point, maybe not directly but you will be.” —Kevin Goss
“There is a next step, and we just have to keep moving forward.” —Jenn Kaaoush
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Disaster can strike anyone, even those sworn to serve the public. Yet, in the face of unimaginable loss, these community leaders refuse to be silenced. They’re taking their fight to the halls of Congress, forging bipartisan bonds to secure critical aid and resources for megafire recovery.
Meet the panel: Council Members Steve Crowder (Town of Paradise), Jenn Kaaoush (Town of Superior), Jeff Okrepkie (City of Santa Rosa, and Founder of Coffey Strong), and Kevin Goss (Chair of the Board of Supervisors, County of Plumas) — survivors who’ve transformed their pain into powerful advocacy.
Tune in as Jennifer Gray Thompson guides the discussion on the importance of advocacy and building relationships with federal legislators to address the unique challenges faced by megafire communities while emphasizing the value of having a “seat at the table” and the need for continued collaboration and support.
Highlights:
- 02:12 Purpose: How to Advocate for Your Community
- 04:07 Meet Jeff Okrepkie, Steve Crowder, Kevin Goss, Jenn Kaaoush
- 12:30 The Bipartisan Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, 5863
- 18:02 Ask a Seat at the Table Where Decisions Are Made
- 23:10 Where Party Don’t Matter
Twitter:
When disaster strikes, communities rise up. Hear how hard-working leaders are taking their fight to Congress to secure critical aid for their community as @jengraythompson sits with Council Members Steve Crowder (Town of Paradise), Jenn Kaaoush (Town of Superior), Jeff Okrepkie (City of Santa Rosa), and Kevin Goss (Chair of the Board of Supervisors, County of Plumas). #Recover #Rebuild #Reimagine #podcast #wildfire #DisasterRecovery #AfterTheFire #2024WildfireLeadershipSummit #MegaFires #FederalAdvocacy #BipartisanCollaboration #CommunityResilience #LessonsLearned #DisasterSurvivors #HousingCrisis #LongTermRecovery #NonprofitLeadership
Quotes:
03:11 “What we all care about is making sure that we’re doing right by our fire communities.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson
06:15 “Only about 25% of people have renters insurance and that was one thing that I still advocate for very, very voraciously as it is something that a lot of people forget as renters.” —Jeff Okrepkie
07:52 “We’re willing to help anybody out that is going through this now or in the future.” —Steve Crowder
08:46 “There’s no playbook when it comes to a wildfire… Be ready, because you know this is going to impact you at some point, maybe not directly but you will be.” —Kevin Goss
11:33 “There is a next step, and we just have to keep moving forward.” —Jenn Kaaoush
17:11 “Ask for a seat at the table where decisions are being made. It doesn’t matter how fancy the table is.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson
18:36 “We should be there. They can make the best policy with the best information when it comes from our communities; when it comes from us.” —Jenn Kaaoush
19:28 “How you frame your argument is how you get them to listen.” —Jeff Okrepkie
20:47 “Make sure that you sit at the table. Every single second that you’re at that table matters. Everything that comes out of your mouth matters.” —Kevin Goss
22:32 “They get so many pages a year of bills and stuff, nobody has a chance to read them all. So us going there and pointing out what’s going on, is a huge help.” —Steve Crowder
25:00 “Disaster doesn’t care what your party is. It doesn’t care anything about what area you’re in and what party affiliation that identifies with.” —Jenn Kaaoush
Meet the Moderator:
Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO, After the Fire USA
Jennifer Gray Thompson, named one of Forbes’ “50 over 50” IMPACT Leaders in 2022, has led Rebuild North Bay Foundation since January 2018, transforming it into a national leader in mega fire recovery. A lifelong Sonoma Valley resident, she holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from USC and has worked for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. Post-2017 North Bay fires, she became Executive Director of RNBF, which aids wildfire-affected communities across the American West. As CEO, she developed the Wildfire Resiliency Network and Survivor Deployment Model, advocated for federal policies, and hosted national Wildfire Leadership summits. Jennifer also created the “How to Disaster” podcast and serves on boards supporting Latino communities and first responders’ mental health.
Connect with After The Fire USA:
- Website: https://afterthefireusa.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfterTheFireUSA
- X: https://twitter.com/AfterTheFireUSA
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterthefireusa/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atf3r
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTefxZgWUJkDVoZGZQpxgQ
Meet the Panel:
Steve Crowder, Councilmember, Town of Paradise
Steve Crowder was first elected to serve on the Town Council on November 6, 2018. Council Member Crowder was then reelected on November 8, 2022 to serve a subsequent four-year term.
Prior to running for Council, Steve served on numerous Stakeholder Committees for the Town, including, The Beautification, Business License, and Sewer Committee, as well as well as serving as a board member for the Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
Steve has been a Paradise resident since 2013. He and his wife own an embroidery and shirt printing business and serve the community through participation in fraternal and service organizations, such as the Paradise Moose Lodge, Paradise Rotary Club, and the Paradise Parade of Flags.
Steve and his wife Lori have 3 children and 4 grandchildren and are both heavily involved in the community.
Kevin Goss, Chair of the Board of Supervisors, County of Plumas
Kevin Goss is the Plumas County Supervisor of District Two, which encompasses the largest district in Plumas County, including the community of Greenville. Goss has served as a county supervisor for 12 years and has been a key leader in the recovery efforts following the Dixie Fire, the single-largest wildfire in California state history. Goss has been actively involved in federal advocacy efforts, working alongside organizations like After the Fire to ensure the needs of his fire-impacted community are heard in Washington, D.C. With over a decade of experience in local government, Goss brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to supporting his constituents through the challenges of disaster recovery.
Jenn Kaaoush, Councilmember, Town of Superior
As a Councilwoman for the Town of Superior and former Director of Superior Rising, Kaaoush has been a dedicated advocate for her community since the 2021 Marshall Fire, streamlining processes, sourcing funds, and pushing for state and federal support. She has joined After The Fire USA to advocate for fire survivors, supported the Lahaina recovery, and leveraged her experiences as a fourth-generation Veteran and former Diplomat to connect disaster recovery efforts internationally.
Jeff Okrepkie, Councilmember, City of Santa Rosa / Founder of Coffey Strong
Jeff Okrepkie is a dedicated public servant, currently serving as a council member for the City of Santa Rosa. His passion for community service is evident through his co-founding of Coffey Strong, an initiative aimed at supporting fire recovery efforts. Jeff’s contributions to disaster recovery and economic development have earned him recognition and respect within his community. He holds a B.A. in Human Communication from Arizona State University and several professional certifications in insurance.
Connect with Coffey Strong:
- Website: https://coffeystrong.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coffeyparkstrong/
Transcription:
Jennifer Gray Thompson: This is from the Dixie Fire Greenville about 30 days ago. I was there four days after. And what I wanted to say about Supervisor Goss was that one thing, and this is perfect right after the presentation we just had is that, sometimes, we can forget, oh, you guys out there. I’m going to be fascinating. Just so you know, if you wanted to come inside and witness glory, it’s coming up right now. Brian, I’m talking about federal advocacy, and I’m about to wow you. Sometimes for the public, it’s really hard for them to remember that after a disaster that, your public servants, your state senators, your the people who work at the county, they are also undergoing the grief and the pain of the disaster. Many have lost their homes, and they have to carry on all the duties that they previously were taken care of before, and there can be a huge lack of compassion.
This is so funny. Everyone’s trying to move out around the side of the building, out of my line of sight. I know that. So Kevin did lose his pharmacy. They are each going to tell you their story, which I think is very important. But I just wanted to note that I think that the way we’re going to do this to save a little bit of time is, first, I’ll say this, I have an MPA, which is like an MBA for the public, for the government. And my dream was to work in government. When I was a teacher, clearly, I had issues doing these. That’s my dream. I’d never been to DC as a lobbyist or an advocate before. At first, I would sit a little bit back, and I didn’t really know how to do it. And so the purpose of this particular panel today is to really inspire and incite permission structure and how to advocate for what your community needs. The area of our issue is a megafire. So we represent all megafire communities. What I do is a few times a year, well this year, I think I’ve been there six times. I go to DC, and I pound the halls. My style is what I like to call politely furious. But I’m very clear. I could take 13 people, or it could be just me. Or it could be just me and Jen, or it just depends on what it is.
But the people up here I asked in particular, because I know that if I call them to go with me that we’re pros, and we know exactly like we fall into a rhythm together, we know exactly how to do it, and we also represent a big spectrum of political beliefs. We vote differently. But what we all care about is making sure that we’re doing right by our fire communities. And we never had one political argument or a partisan moment. I have to say that I’m very proud of the work that we do at After The Fire. Our main pillar is actual advocacy. For those of you who think that perhaps you are not allowed to do any lobbying as a nonprofit, that is not true. You can do up to 20% of perceived or actual resource impact, and you should be doing it. It’s very important. I’d actually like to start with Jeff, and we’re from the same fires. And what we did to make it easier is we put some of the stats up from the fires. His fire in particular is the Tubbs fire.
So Jeff, do you mind doing an introduction? And then I have some questions for all of you. We’re going to go through the introductions, and then do the questions.
Jeff Okrepkie: My name is Jeff Okrepkie. In 2017, the Tubbs fire burned through Santa Rosa. It’s part of what ended up being called the North Bay fires, including the Atlas fire in Napa, the Nuns fire right around here, and a little tiny one that always gets forgotten, called the Pocket fire up just north of us. I live in a neighborhood called Coffey Park. And me and 1,351 of my neighbors lost our home so I like to be civically engaged. I was on a couple non profit boards, and I was kind of motivated. I felt like I needed to do something. I put together a little presentation with insurance professionals, builders and local elected staff. And thought I did my one good deed. But like most of us, when we raise our hand, even if we take it down, it’s still up to other people. And so literally the next day, I was like, when’s the next meeting? When’s the next meeting? So we ended up forming a nonprofit called Coffey Strong to help rebuild some of the communal aspects of our neighborhood and advocate for ourselves.
And through that, I met a lot of the elected officials in the area. We vote in districts in Santa Rosa. The representative that represents my district encouraged me to run for his seat because he wasn’t running again, and so I did. I was elected to Santa Rosa City Council, where I now sit. And because of Jenn and a few other efforts, I’ve traveled to Paradise superior in Louisville, and Redding to Santa Cruz, and a lot of other places. Tubbs fire was the most devastating fire in California history for exactly 13 months. But it was unlike anything else that anybody had seen, I forget the name of. The fire was down in Scripps Ranch, San Diego. Cedar fire, thank you. But it was much larger in the damage that it did. So yeah, all of this stuff that you guys have right now, and all this learning, God, I wish we had this seven years ago, it would have been much easier. But happy to be here and share my perspective. I was a renter when that came through. I work in insurance, so I was lucky enough to have renters insurance. But only about 25% of people have renters insurance, and that was one thing that I still advocate very, very voraciously. And something that a lot of people forget is renters.
Steve Crowder: I’m Steve Crowder. I am from the town of Paradise. I was elected to town council on November 6, 2018. Our Camp fire happened November 8, 2018. We lost our home and business in the fire. We are a worry town of about 26,000. We went to a town of less than 3,000 in less than half a day. We lost about 12,000 homes. 95% of our community was destroyed. As I was sitting here listening to Hawaii and the challenges that they’re facing, it just brought it all back. There was none in Butte County. We had 50,000 people evacuating. Not just from Paradise, but from other parts of Butte County through Paradise. Almost six years later, we’ve got about a third of our housing stock back. Our population is pushing 11,000. Lots of challenges still to go. We’ve got our recovery plan. We’re figuring a 25 year recovery. We are making good progress. It’s been my privilege to have the confidence, the people that were left in me to re-elect me again and have me serve. We’re willing to help anybody out that is going through this now or in the future. My Heart, every time I see a fire goes out to everybody that’s going through.
Kevin Goss: All right. Hey, it’s Kevin Goss, Plumas County Supervisor of District 2, which encompasses the largest district in Plumas County. Which encompasses Greenville and the Indian Valley. We are one of the counties in the home of the single largest wildfire in California state history, which is the Dixie fire right around a million acres. We lost Greenville and three other four of the communities, Indian falls, Canyon Dam, Warner Valley, North Arm and so on. As of August 21, I am currently in my 12th year as a Supervisor. I can tell you right now that there’s no playbook when it comes to a wildfire, and I did not know Jenn or After The Fire. Prior to the fire, she showed up in my driveway with everything burning around me and said, how can I help? Where can I help? I’m not sure if Congressman LaMalfa had just left my driveway or was there as well, but he had hoses and gasoline to help me out to keep my property from burning. But it’s been a challenge.
Patrick Joseph, our Dixie fire collaborative Executive Director is here and has been doing such a great job three years out. I think that we are really moving forward. We’re through the RSF process. We should be putting out our plan. Our planning director at the county, Tracy Ferguson, has just absolutely been critical in moving this forward. We didn’t really have a grant position or any of those things prior to this. And I think what I can impede on to you, like Steve was saying earlier, is that be prepared. Be prepared. Be ready because this is going to impact you at some point. Maybe not directly, but you will be there. So get those pieces in place at the county local government. But my lobbying career started in the middle of the fire and is still going. And looking forward to answering any questions.
Jenn Kaaoush: Jeff will be happy to know that. Apparently he’s my mentor because our stories are exactly the same. I’m looking forward to what we’re going to do next, just watching you. I’m Jenn Kaaoush. I’m from the Marshall fire in Colorado. A lot like Jeff shared, I was a resident. They put the fire out in the road in front of my home. I did not lose my home, but the entire community beyond where I lived was gone in a matter of hours. So our fire was just one day, one and a half days. A lot of rage, empathy and sadness jumped in immediately on behalf of my neighbors directly across from me that turned into the neighborhood, that turned into the community, and started an organization called Superior Rising, which was a resident group that was there to serve the residents in the recovery. Jennifer and Jeff also were a part of the delegation of that pay it forward concept. Showed up at our town while we were in sheer panic with no idea what this looked like, and where to go next.
The feeling when I hear the folks from Maui talk about what it is like to have someone in the room that just knows it was like a god sent to have them show up to just look at them with sheer panic and have them look, okay. There is a next step, and we just have to keep moving forward. It was a real one of the most beautiful introductions and relationships that I have gained from this experience. After some time went by, I was able to join Jennifer and Jeff. Kind of showed me the ropes in DC. When they initially asked me to go, I was kind of like, I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know what the answers are. What am I going to bring to this? But it turns out those folks up on the hill, they only know if we come and tell them what’s happening in our communities. We’re the only ones that have those stories. And so it was made apparent to me pretty quickly how important it was to establish a relationship with folks at the federal level. So now, when our federal legislators come back to town, they check in on us. Or they ask, the staffers are emailing to ask us what we need, what we’re dealing with. And those wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t go there, sit in front and connect with them.
Jennifer Gray Thompson: I’d also like to note that it all sort of weaves together. When the Marshall fire happened on December 30 of 2021, which was a very rude time for a megafire to happen. When we pull the demographics, I try to look for as much as possible. I was very mindful in bringing Jeff, Brad Sherwood and then Pamela Van Halsema. When we went out there, because it was a suburban, really suburban urban fire. We curate it according to what’s happening right in front of us. So it’s very intentional. And the same thing too, when we go to DC, what I work really hard on is I come from this valley right here. Steve comes from a rural place that did not actually qualify as rural under USDA prior. But as his Mayor told me, it was very dry because they had dropped below the threshold. Kevin’s from a frontier community. I just wanted to note that that’s all part of the design, making sure that we have diversity in this size and type of fires, communities, local incomes. All of those things really matter. And ideally, we are Republicans, Democrats, independents declined to states because none of it matters to us.
I did want to point out. I’m not trying to depress you here. But the thing we’ve been working on for three years this month, we took this issue to Congressman Mike Thompson, who’s wonderful. He’s here, and he immediately paired up with Congressman LaMalfa from Butte in Paradise. One Democrat, one Republican, and started this process of undoing this horrible and unfair tax law that says that, if you get a settlement from a disaster like a megafire, all of them, including the one in Maui. You have to declare that as personal income tax. So imagine what that does. If you’re a vulnerable person and you get, let’s just call it $100,000. And then all of a sudden, your income maybe goes from like 37,000 the year before to 137 the year after. Well, your tax burden is significant. It’s going to take that away. It’s also going to take away veterans benefits. Jenn is a veteran, by the way. It’s going to change if your kids have scholarships. If you are on the Affordable Care Act, it removes that. You have to pay that back, and you cannot deduct your attorney’s fees.
Kevin Goss: You could also get jacked up to the next tax bracket.
Jennifer Gray Thompson: Very likely. For those of you who are not aware of this, and we’ve been talking to Senator Hirono and Senator Schatz office from the very beginning, and Congresswoman Tokuda, we’ve made sure that the Hawaii delegation was wrapped in immediately. This is something that we’ve been working on. We’ve been back so many times, and I’m going back on Monday again. Kevin’s coming with me, and then Brad Sherwood is another one. So there’ll be three of us. So that’s basically called the bipartisan Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, 5863. I want you to know about it. We’ve done so much work that we were actually wrapped into the larger tax bill that doesn’t appear. It’s going to pass, but we’ve done a lot of bipartisan work. So here’s some of the things that I would like to note most of all. Advocate foreign with stakeholders, including emergent leaders. You do not need a title. I would like to say that this is Speaker Pelosi’s office. When she was the speaker, none of us were drinking our water, so I think that’s hilarious. You should look, we’re all very nervous. Michael Mondavi was on my board. That’s how we got in there. But over there on the left hand side is Charles Brook’s, who’s a resident and fire survivor from Paradise. He was a reusable grocery bag salesman the day before the fire. But then he created the Rebuild Paradise Foundation after the fire.
And one of my great joys in life is putting somebody who would have never had that access next to the Speaker of the House. An hour later, it was Kevin McCarthy. It was a little different, but still very meaningful. Oh, here, there they are. This is a larger delegation that we did, and I have some questions. I’m just going to take you through some photos, and then I’m going to put it out. This is Congressman Neguse. Meeting with Jenn over here and two other people from her town. I have to say that Colorado is actually the most responsive for their senators for actually sending people out right away. First time we showed up, they did not need convincing. And this is where I really want to go to ask for a seat at the table where decisions are being made. It doesn’t matter how fancy the table is. Including Senator Pelosi is obvious. I don’t think Stan is here today, and I’m very disappointed. This is a meeting in 2018, that is Supervisor Belia Ramos from Napa. Stan is way over there in the corner. But the reason why I included that is he actually remembered me from that meeting in 2018, and that’s how I got on a national task force like five years later, because Stan remembered. So never underestimate the power of being at the seat. I’m actually going to leave that up for a minute, and I’m hoping maybe we’ll start with Jenn, and go down to quickly just talk about, what is it like to have a seat at the table? What surprised you the most, and just your thoughts around that? Because most people don’t feel entitled to that seat.
Jenn Kaaoush: I was very overwhelmed at the idea of being able to be in that space. Again, as I said previously, kind of questioning what this one person from this little town that had this issue gonna bring to the table for this. And I think the thing that was most surprising is how willing they were to listen, and that there is already an existing process. There are people filling the Capitol building just like me, just like these folks that are bringing issues. And so the whole point is to come in. Those are our builds. They’re for us, and we have a right to be there. We should be there, and they can make the best policy with the best information when it comes from our communities, when it comes from us. And I think that was a big turn for me to understand that one person from your community can make a huge difference in the effect that comes down the road to everyone else that’s recovering in this process.
Jeff Okrepkie: Yeah. I think it’s having a seat at the table. It was surprising how willing they were to talk to us. I would subscribe to the fact that when you talk to a Lemolf or somebody beforehand, they’re like, yeah, I just got up a meeting with, like, soy subsidies. And the next thing I’m talking about is, this bill about tires or something like that. We’re coming in with an actual emotional, very specific thing. And it’s bipartisan. Both sides will listen to you. You could probably skip the person that thinks the fire is started by space lasers. But both sides are willing to listen to you, and how you frame your argument is how you get them to listen. The two things that surprised me the most is the amount of walking. For those of you that have not been to Capitol Hill, that nice, cool building that was built long ago. Rarely used. It has five buildings, three for the house, and two for the Senate. On either side that is like half a mile away from it. And you’re not going from Senator to Senator Senator. You’re going from Senator to Congressperson, back to Senator, back to a committee, back to another committee. The other thing I would say that is surprising is, do you know who runs Capitol Hill? It’s a bunch of 20 something staffers. You go to these meetings and you’re like, how old are you as a former staffer? Always respect them. You could be talking to somebody from Massachusetts, but that person could get poached by ways and means, and become a higher up on ways and means. That happens all the time. So it helps when you develop those relationships, but those are the people that can kill your argument going to the person that they represent or can promote it. So one of those things that were really surprising to me is the age of people that are running these staffs.
Kevin Goss: Couldn’t agree more. Definitely. But I think one of the things of definitely having a seat at the table, make sure that you sit at the table, making sure you sit down. And then every single second that you’re at that table matters. Everything that comes out of your mouth matters in regards to engaging those folks. Because a lot of the folks that we spoke with had no idea what a megafire really was. What is the total loss of your town? I guess you can look at Katrina, or a hurricane, or a tornado. But this is different. This is a recovery process that takes years. I know that hurricanes and tornadoes are issues and problems that can be overcome. Not to diminish any of those, but fire is just different. And so I think that bringing those issues to the table, engaging those staffers, the 20 something year old staffers that really have no idea, to get that staffer to elevate that to the next level to the senator, the congresswoman, or men you’re talking to.
Steve Crowder: I’ll tell you. I think one of the reasons that we were so welcomed at the table was, Jen, here really paved the way. Everybody knows who she is, and I’ve been back a couple of times since with After The Fire before the town, and those relationships helped because it got me into places too. So that was really great. The one big thing that surprised me is, I don’t remember exactly, I think it was Wyoming. We were in their office, and the comment was, what difference does this bill make to us? This is just a California issue. Well, no, it isn’t just a California issue. It’s an every place issue. And the problem is, they get so many pages a year of bills and stuff, and nobody has a chance to read them all. They skim them unless there’s a chance of it getting to the floor, nobody looks at it. So us going there, pointing out what’s going on, I think was a huge help. We’re still waiting to get this done, but I think the more we’re there in front of them, the more we listen. I’ll tell you from both sides of the aisle, we’ve always been treated very well compassionately. People listen so I think we’ve just gotta keep on going and keep on trying.
Jennifer Gray Thompson: And to be clear, all of us have been multiple times, and so it’s rare. Sometimes I go alone, but that’s not my preference at all. I love that you brought up how young everybody is. And so one of the hard things that I had to learn over the years since 2018, the first time that I went, was I’m happy if I get the primary. But I don’t really need the primary. I do need the staffers. And Jeff is absolutely correct. And like last year when they had a change in the Speaker of the House, while I had a really good contact inside of the Speaker of the House. He was like 32, so he wasn’t 22. We had to have a really important meeting about bringing this issue to the floor. We use that same staffer to make sure that we could get another meeting with the Speaker of the House. So these are the ways. It’s all based upon relationships, which will surprise none of you whatsoever. But it’s a really important thing. And one of the quick things I’d like you to talk about before I go to the next thing, we only have two minutes, how shocking it is. I want to just really reiterate this. We hear the same thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re Republican or Democrat, it’s the same amount of compassion that is shown to us, the same amount of interest, the same amount of willingness to learn that we do not feel the toxicity that you read on the news, and we are actually standing there. Even Ted Cruz has amazing staff. I’m sorry, but that was a whole partisan thing. But he does, though. They’re worried about fires. Jen, go ahead, tell them what you did.
Jenn Kaaoush: I went into Lauren Boebert’s office. That’s how much I love my community.
Jennifer Gray Thompson: A partisan piece. It’s not what you would think at all.
Jenn Kaaoush: This is an issue that is so human. Disaster doesn’t care what your party is. It doesn’t care anything about what area you’re in, and what party affiliation that identifies with. And so it was definitely across the board that was received by offices. And one skill set that I took away from this was, when we were in a Democrat’s office, I talked more about folks on an affordable housing list, and how this income would kick them off the list. The kind of effects that would come from an equity space. And when I was in a Republican office, I really focused on the veterans. And despite there not being a lot of evidence that that actually matters, so I’d focus on the veterans about these keywords for them that are going to have them picking up these issues, and taking them in a way that’s the same end result. So shifting that conversation to who you’re speaking with and what’s important to them and their offices, that was an amazing thing to learn.
Jennifer Gray Thompson: I was able to actually testify for Senator Schatz office this year, June, December of 2023 on the issues of Block Grant Funding and how slow it is. So it can also lead to other things.
Jeff Okrepkie: I was gonna say one thing. Always keep in mind how dynamic the situation can be. When we were all on a trip together, we had appointments with senators that ended up being moved to just staff because we were there at the time. If you all remember that Chinese weather balloon that flew over the US, they had gotten the intelligence report back on it that day. So we’re standing, I think it was a Colorado senator’s office, and there goes Senator Sinema, and Senator Klobuchar. I’ve seen her on TV and all these things. And it’s like, what’s going on? They like, oh, we just got this back. And then I think Jenn got a text. It was like, we’re not gonna meet with Padilla now because he has to be in that meeting, but we’re gonna meet with the staff. It’s neither here nor there, but it’s always fluid. Don’t get discouraged. It is a human thing. And as an elected official, I’ll say on my point, on my part, I don’t speak for everyone up here. But this is the kind of subject that you get into an elected office for you don’t get in to talk about subsidies or regulations on tires or whatever. I was joking about earlier, it’s to help people. And this is actually to Jen’s point, like a human thing. So people are very willing to listen.
Jennifer Gray Thompson: I will say this, you can also disagree or not on what they’re saying to you. I didn’t like what Congressman LaMalfa had just said, which was, maybe it would take years, and he had given a TV interview. So I was telling him how I felt about that. I was like, maybe I’ll just haunt the halls. Maybe I’ll move right outside of your office. And he’s like, please don’t do that. He’s actually a really good Congressman. Wery, very connected to his community. But even then, I just want to know you can have frank conversations. This is our group meeting with Senator Hirono as senior staff. You really do have fantastic senators and representatives who are representatives in the Senate. There’s Jeff making a point. I forgot that I had all of these. The number one thing we wanted you to know is that we are here to advocate for you as magfier communities and survivors, and we welcome more people to come with us to do that for what the issues to come. And thank you for your trust in us. But most of all, to not be intimidated. It is your house. I can teach other delegations. I don’t need to go. It’s fine. I can teach you how to do it. It’s really about just asking to be in the room and at the table. None of us were doing this before, and we sure do it. We do a good job now, so thank you so much. Thank you so much all of you for being on this panel and all the work that you’ve done. I really appreciate it so much. Thank you.
