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Home , Devon Mathis, Ed Chau, Ian Calderon, Janet Nguyen, Jesse Gabriel, Kevin McCarty

Digital Influencer Report

SECOND ANNUAL END- OF-SESSION REPORT

Find out what worked and what didn't in 2018 The Influence of Digital Advocacy on 's Capitol

February 2019

1 TABLE OF

CONTENTS 03

INTRODUCTION 05

END-OF-SESSION AT A GLANCE 08

END-OF-SESSION ADVOCACY 11

#SB822 NET NEUTRALITY 15

#SB10 BAIL REFORM 18

#SB901 WILDFIRE PREVENTION AND RECOVERY 21

DIGITAL ADVOCACY OUTLOOK 22

CAPITOL PRESS CORPS INFLUENCER SCORES 25

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS INFLUENCER SCORES

2 Introduction Digital engagement is no longer optional.

Choosing not to participate is a losing strategy.

This is clearly evidenced by of engagement on California’s digital advocacy’s impact on the most significant policy proposals. final two weeks of the 2018 Lawmakers, the Capitol press legislative session, known as corps, interest groups, the media, “End-of-Session” for Capitol the Governor and other insiders. During the race to pass stakeholders tweeted about legislation by the August 31 legislation. deadline, was a main hub

3 Sacramento’s top public relations and public affairs firm and digital advocacy pioneers Randle Communications (Randle) created this annual report to demonstrate how in today’s climate, a digital advocacy program is essential and must go hand-in-hand with traditional lobbying and public affairs efforts to shape and drive advocacy outcomes. This second installment of Randle’s Digital Influencer Report measures and analyzes 2018 End-of-Session activity and analytics from Twitter to illustrate digital advocacy’s impact on legislative outcomes. The bottom line Digital advocacy works, and California is leading the way, adding important visibility and transparency to public policy debates through social media.

4 At a Glance End-of-Session

The use of #CaLeg, the most popular hashtag for sharing general policy and political comments, news and discussion about the California Legislature, continues to grow.

DURING THE END OF THE 2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, #CaLeg mentions increased almost 14 percent compared to the same period in 2017.

5 #CaLeg by the Numbers 14% INCREASE Aug. 20 - Sept. 15, 2018 in mentions from 2017 to 2018 10,159 TOTAL MENTIONS > 100% INCREASE during the final week of the session compared to the rest of the year > 47 M POTENTIAL IMPRESSIONS Top Lawmakers

Who mentioned #CaLeg

Senate President pro Tempore

Former Senate President pro Tempore and then U.S. Senate- candidate Kevin de León

Senator

Senator

Senator Jean Fuller

Assemblymember

6 #CaLeg by the Numbers

Top #CaLeg Authors by Influence: #SB822 (Net Neutrality) 125,000 was mentioned... Indivisible Guide (@IndivisibleTeam) 100,000 Solar Energy Industries Association (@SEIA) 8x more 75,000 Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) than #SB10 (Bail Reform) Heal the Bay (@HealTheBay) 50x more MoveOn.org (@MoveOn) 50,000 than #SB901 (Wildfire Most Popular #CaLeg Prevention and Recovery) Tweet Authors: 25,000

0 Actress and Activist Mira Sorvino Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 (@MiraSorvino) Solar Energy Industries Association (@SEIA) ACLU California (@ACLU_CAP) State Senator and U.S. Senate- Candidate Kevin de León (@kdeleon) Public Interest Attorney Sandra Fluke (@SandraFluke)

7 Digital Advocacy End-of-Session

In the inaugural 2017 Digital Influencer relevant. However, the tactics used to Report, Randle examined three high implement them are changing. One of profile digital advocacy campaigns to the initial 11 strategies – ‘give identify its top 11 strategies for digital lawmakers a reason to be with you’ – advocacy success. While the public is today achieved by successfully affairs ecosystem continues to evolve executing at least one of the rapidly, these strategies are still remaining 10 strategies.

The game today is being played at a higher level, and what was once considered a digital advocacy ‘best practice’ is now a minimum mandatory requirement to educate and engage lawmakers.

8 Last year, Randle identified 11 2017 Strategies for best practices across three campaigns to showcase how digital advocacy - done well - Digital Advocacy can make a difference

1. Engage on the platform 7. Give lawmakers a reason to be with you 2. Maximize third-party support and opposition 8. Engage lawmakers

3. Create and sustain momentum 9. Localize content

4. Display authenticity 10. Integrate video

5. Maximize traditional earned media 11. Incorporate visual content

6. Use engaging creative

9 Methodology To evaluate Randle’s initial 11 strategies in the context of the 2018 legislative landscape, Randle identified three legislative fights that illustrated the continuing evolution of digital advocacy’s ability to shape policy outcomes. Randle chose three of the top five End-of-Session issue campaigns outside of the firm’s portfolio to ensure objectivity.

SB 822 (Net Neutrality)

SB 10 (Bail Reform)

SB 901 (Wildfire Prevention and Recovery)

Only organic Twitter content was examined to determine influencer scores. All measures had at least one side engaged

*Zignal Labs new influence scoring methodology on social media and utilized takes into consideration a combination of author attributes such as number of followers, number of industry best practices, which posts, if the author has a verified status as well as ultimately helped them stand out the likelihood of the author to be a bot. and make an impact.

10 Net #SB822 Neutrality

Key Takeaway: Quantity + Quality = Success

SB 822, authored by Senator Scott Wiener and known as the “Net Neutrality” bill, became a national topic of conversation. was introduced in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) rollback of regulations that required internet service providers to treat all data equally.

A coalition supporting SB 822 had national reach with an organic presence on Twitter. This overshadowed opponents, who heavily relied on paid digital campaigns. National groups like Electronic Frontier Foundation (a nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech and innovation) and Fight for the Future (a nonprofit “working to expand the internet’s power for good”) drove support with customized content driven by high-profile and nontraditional allies. While opponents included major communications providers, manufacturers and chambers of commerce throughout , the lack of a consistent, authentic and organic message allowed SB 822 supporters to drive a winning digital narrative. The bill received bipartisan support moving through the Legislature and was signed by Governor Brown. However, California is not enforcing the law as part of an agreement with the FCC and U.S. Department of Justice.

By the Numbers 148,352 >950 M TWEETS POTENTIAL IMPRESSIONS

CHELSEA HANDLER #1 @chelseahandler @Alyssa_Milano #2 THINKPROGRESS #3 @thinkprogress WORLD NEWS TONIGHT @abcworldnews #4 KTLA 5 #5 @ktla

11 #SB822

Localize Content

A local tie makes a digital advocacy campaign more impactful. While this normally pertains to using local data to support a position, it can also include using coverage of a significant event that can bring the issue closer to home.

In August 2018, a Santa Clara Fire Department vehicle deployed to coordinate fire crews during the Mendocino Complex Fire became severely impacted when its access to data was throttled by its Internet service provider. When technical support reached out to the provider requesting the throttling be lifted for public safety purposes, the provider responded by saying that it was not possible unless the department switched to a new data plan at twice the cost 1. Supporters capitalized on this to strengthen their arguments in favor of the reform.

SB 822 supporters effectively used a real-world opportunity to define an otherwise complex issue and make a compelling case for their position.

BEYOND LOCALIZING CONTENT HYPERLOCAL IS THE NEW LOCAL

Hyperlocal platforms like Nextdoor have allowed ordinary people to become neighborhood activists by focusing on a very narrow set of issues important to them. The lesson in this evolution is, to break through, digital campaigns must be able to demonstrate local impact in a way that hits home.

12 1 https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/08/verizon-throttled-fire-departments-unlimited-data-during-calif-wildfire/ #SB822

Create & Sustain Momentum

A steady messaging drumbeat is essential to ensure a digital advocacy campaign can rise to the top of the real-time Twitter universe. SB 822 supporters used a consistent stream of content and prominent messengers to build a successful digital advocacy campaign, greatly overshadowing the opposition. BEYOND CREATING & SUSTAINING MOMENTUM QUANTITY AND QUALITY BOTH MATTER

A digital debate has allowed for a significant increase in celebrity activism. Both well- known and lesser-known voices are seizing the platform to weigh in on policy issues and strengthen their own personal brands. SB 822 supporters harnessed these influencer voices while continuing to generate and distribute their own messages by developing, motivating and activating a broad-based digital coalition.

Use Engaging Creative

Effective social media advocacy creative must include impactful colors, graphics and images to drive interest. SB 822 supporters used unique imagery and campaigns to help their content stand out. This included highlighting lawmakers who showed their support for the legislation. BEYOND USING ENGAGING CREATIVE SIMPLE GRAPHICS ARE THE NEW STICK FIGURES

Everyone is using graphics. If you aren’t creating impactful graphic content, you’ll disappear in the clutter.

13 #SB822

Integrate Video

Tweets with video attract 10 times more engagements than those without 2. SB 822 supporters incorporated a number of tweets with made-for-social videos and GIFs that contained a call to action encouraging viewers to engage with lawmakers. BEYOND INTEGRATING VIDEO STILL PHOTOS ARE THE NEW 8-TRACKS

There is no better way to tell a story than through video. With all the apps and programs available today, there is no excuse not to integrate video into a digital advocacy campaign.

Engage Lawmakers

Tweets with a personalized message make a greater impact. BEYOND ENGAGING LAWMAKERS GENERIC DIGITAL CONTENT IS THE NEW FORM LETTER

Just as a lobbyist wouldn’t educate a Central Valley lawmaker using data, driving identical content to 120 lawmakers is a lazy and losing strategy.

14 2 https://business.twitter.com/en/blog/5-data-driven-tips-for-scroll-stopping-video.html Bail #SB10 Reform

Key Takeaway: Momentum is Hard to Stop

SB 10, introduced by Senator and known as “Bail Reform,” presented a unique situation for stakeholders on both sides of the bill. Amendments to the bill in the final days of session, which had been introduced in the first year of the legislative session and previously enjoyed widespread support, caused many initial supporters to oppose the bill, even though the elimination of bail remained in the bill’s language. This was the main point of contention for the bill's primary opposition, including many public safety interests and bail bonds associations and organizations.

The main objection resulting from the amendments was language that established a pretrial assessment to determine if and how a defendant could be released before trial. Former SB 10 supporters, including the bill’s lead co-sponsor, the American Civil Liberties Union, worried that this would lead to judicial prejudice against lower income and minority communities. They tried to stop the legislation during the last weeks of the session, but it had so much momentum it couldn't be stopped. Essentially, the digital brand of the bill was established, and supporters had become a victim of their own digital advocacy success. That said, early supporters of the bill were able to gain some ground back on opposition, as the bill narrowly passed in both houses, 42-31 in the Assembly and 26-12 in the Senate.

The Legislature passed the bill and Governor Brown signed it. During the signing ceremony, Governor Brown hailed SB 10 noting it reforms California’s bail system “so that rich and poor alike are treated fairly 3.” By the Numbers

JOHN LEGEND #1 @johnlegend 16,832 PHILIP DEFRANCO @PhillyD #2 TWEETS BETH CHAPMAN #3 @MrsdogC TOMI LAHREN #4 >425 M @TomiLahren POTENTIAL #5 TOM STEYER IMPRESSIONS @TomSteyer

3 https://www.gov.ca.gov/2018/08/28/governor-brown-signs-legislation-to-revamp--bail-system-protect-public-safety/ 15 #SB10

Maximize Third-Party Support & Opposition

SB 10 benefitted from the voices of many third-party advocates and nontraditional allies, including celebrities, demonstrating strong grassroots support. Virtual engagement across Twitter essentially served the same purpose as a long line of supporters making testimony during a legislative committee hearing.

BEYOND MAXIMIZING THIRD-PARTY SUPPORT & OPPOSITION TWITTER IS THE NEW RED CARPET

It’s no longer necessary for celebrities and other influencers to engage in advocacy in person – so celebrity fly-ins to testify or participate in a press conference are becoming fewer and far between. Digital advocacy has given celebrities an instant opportunity to brand themselves as activists on policy issues through driving debates on Twitter. If a celebrity or influencer digitally engages for or against your cause it can amplify the issue through reaching a whole new audience.

16 #SB10

Display Authenticity

Generic graphics and content in a digital advocacy campaign seldom resonate with the legislative audience because they can easily be labeled as insincere or identified as cookie cutter. By contrast, SB 10 supporters delivered hyperlocal support by posting directly from local organizations and sharing support from local elected officials, notably the City Council and County Board of Supervisors. BEYOND DISPLAYING AUTHENTICITY STOCK IMAGES ARE THE NEW ROBOCALLS

Just as a personalized, in-district letter of support or opposition is stronger than a form letter, organic and authentic content on digital channels has a stronger impact on legislators and is thus likely to receive the greatest engagement.

17 Wildfire 901 Prevention & #SB Recovery

Key Takeaway: Digital Presence is Mandatory, Even for Inside Baseball Issues

SB 901 was a complex measure authored by Senator Bill Dodd to address wildfire prevention and recovery. Although the bill number was not prominent on social media, the issue of wildfire liability was mentioned in more than 1,500 tweets during the two final weeks of session and resulted in more than 100 million potential impressions. SB 901 was introduced in response to wildfires collectively burning more than three million acres and resulting in the deaths of almost 150 residents over the last two years.

While the bill addressed a wide range of issues regarding wildfire prevention, including fire planning improvements, fuel mitigation and increasing forest health, media focused on the bill’s provisions that increased liability for utilities. More than 50 articles about the issue were published during End-of- Session. These were widely shared by reporters themselves as well as SB 901 supporters. Additionally, proponents effectively created content on their own websites, so it could be easily shared on social media. This allowed supporters to capitalize on the emotional and human aspect of the devastating fires to generate widespread support on what otherwise could have been a complex “inside baseball” issue. Despite a long list of diverse opposition, including AARP California, manufacturers, growers’ associations and Sierra Club California, the lack of a sustained opposition message about impacts to ratepayers allowed supporters and the media to dominate digital channels and control the narrative.

The bill was passed by the Legislature on the last day of session and signed into law by Governor Brown, who called it complex, but “absolutely necessary4 .” By the Numbers

HEDGED NEWS #1 @politicalHEDGE 1,551 MATTHEW KEYS @MatthewKeysLive #2 TWEETS BRYAN SUITS #3 @darksecretplace JOHN MYERS #4 >100 M @johnmyers POTENTIAL #5 ALEXEI KOSEFF IMPRESSIONS @CapitolAlert

18 4 https://www.gov.ca.gov/2018/09/21/governor-brown-signs-legislation-to-strengthen-wildfire-prevention-and-recovery/ #SB901

Engage on the Platform

In today’s digital age, news and information on almost every subject is instantaneously available. This holds true for digital advocacy. A digital advocacy campaign cannot be automatically dismissed as a strategy because the issue might be “too insider” or “too complex” for the general public. Legal issues associated with SB 901 may have resulted in supporters outnumbering opposition, but even in these situations, some presence is essential. Even in the most controversial, dynamic and sensitive environments, it’s important to find creative ways to engage and tap into other voices to get the message out. BEYOND ENGAGING ON THE PLATFORM TWITTER IS THE NEW COMMITTEE ROOM

The conversation is happening with or without you, and if you don’t participate, the vacuum will be filled by others. Silence on Twitter is the equivalent of not testifying before a legislative committee or telling a reporter “no comment.”

19 #SB901

Maximize Traditional Earned Media

SB 901 received significant media coverage due to the recent destructive wildfires and loss of life. Supporters shared this coverage on social media, using it to support their message and build momentum leading into the final days of the legislative session. BEYOND TRADITIONAL EARNED MEDIA OWNED MEDIA IS THE NEW EARNED MEDIA

As earned media becomes more difficult to secure due to shrinking newsrooms, campaigns are creating their own content on vlogs, and owned newsrooms to use in social media and drive their narrative.

Incorporate Visual Content

SB 901 supporters maximized the use of social content with design that incorporated actual imagery instead of stock photos. Real photos generated emotion and showed the devastation of the fires, and this was an insurmountable force in favor of SB 901. The status quo was associated with destruction and death, and lawmakers had to act.

BEYOND INCORPORATING VISUAL CONTENT IMAGERY IS THE NEW NARRATIVE

As attention spans grow shorter and Twitter becomes more cluttered, there is less time to make real connections. Photos, graphics and videos are the best ways to grab attention and connect with people, so the best digital advocacy campaigns use them effectively.

20 Digital Advocacy As the digital advocacy ecosystem evolves, so too must the strategies and Outlook tactics needed to break through and make an Digital advocacy is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a “have to have.” impact. Randle’s 2017 11 Succeeding in today’s political landscape requires meeting people “best practices” have where they are, and that means going beyond the walls of the Capitol and engaging on policy and legislative issues on Twitter. become the baseline of what is required for a Consistent presence is essential. It’s not enough to have a token online existence. In fact, one of the telltale signs of a digital advocacy winning digital advocacy novice is an entity with a Twitter presence that has been dormant or campaign. only engaging in reactive mode. Organizations and stakeholders must be proactive and have a sustained presence to build, establish and sustain digital credibility. This means having an active profile and sharing California begins a new, meaningful content year-round to keep digital audiences engaged and continue to gain followers. two-year legislative session, and has a media A multi-channel approach is a must. Winning digital advocacy campaigns will use a variety of channels to deliver information. From and social savvy new owned content on an organization’s website, leveraging traditional Governor as well as new media and sharing that through other digital platforms, a diversity of channels is a must to break through and be successful. lawmakers. Organizations not already engaging in Earned and owned media must go hand-in-hand. The media landscape is changing. With earned media opportunities becoming more limited digital advocacy need to and editorial page real estate at a premium, digital advocacy content is start immediately or risk becoming more and more self created. Posting a statement or post to a website and then sharing it on social media is a way for campaigns being left behind. to completely control their narrative. Owned platforms will be an important tool to complement earned content now and in the future.

Organic + paid = the equation to breakthrough. Winning digital advocacy campaigns today and even more so in the future will need to be rooted in organic content with use of strategic paid content to maximize impact. The numbers tell the story and demonstrate the need. Tweets with mention of #CaLeg increased almost 14 percent in just one year. This is just one metric that speaks to the growth of advocacy-related content that lives on Twitter and the growth of paid campaigns that amplify localized content. A blended utilization of organic and paid content is essential to the success of future advocacy campaigns.

One celebrity or influencer tweet can be worth a million words. Think beyond traditional coalition partners. Nontraditional voices including current and “rising-star” celebrities have the power to amplify a message even further and generate a strong grassroots response.

Integration is essential. Digital engagement is no longer an optional tool to educate and engage lawmakers on key issues. The game is being played at a much higher level, and what was once considered a supporting tactic must now be at the center of a sophisticated, comprehensive advocacy strategy. Digital advocacy, run in concert with traditional advocacy, helps maximize the impact of lobbyists and results in successful outcomes.

21 Capitol Press Corps

Influencer Scores

TOP DIGITAL INFLUENCERS

Who were 2018's top Capitol press corps digital influencers? Capitol The Capitol press corps has harnessed Twitter to deliver Press Corps policy insight, real-time reporting, clever commentary and a touch of humor. Twitter provides journalists with a real- time channel to deliver or share the latest information. Their collective engagement on social media is tremendously beneficial for public affairs programs and serves as one of the best ways to measure the pulse of policy and political issues.

This year’s Capitol press corps Top Influencer list includes several returners, including POLITICO's Carla Marinucci and ’ John Myers. They stayed at the top of the list for a second year in a row and have a long history of monitoring the pulse of the Capitol thanks to their in-depth reporting and insight into California's most consequential policy debates. Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon also returns to the Top Influencer list as the go-to on all things related to California’s housing crisis. The Sacramento Bee’s Alexei Koseff (since moved on to the San Francisco Chronicle) is new to the list through his work as the former manager of @CapitolAlert. Los Angeles Times’ Seema Mehta joined the list for the first time due to her ongoing, insightful coverage of the Capitol and California's gubernatorial race.

23 Member Account Handle Influencer Score Publication Alexei Koseff* CapitolAlert 65 Sacramento Bee Alexei Koseff** akoseff 54 Sacramento Bee Amy Chance Amy_Chance 56 Sacramento Bee Angela Hart*** ahartreports 53 Sacramento Bee Ben Adler adlerben 54 Capital Public Radio Bryan Anderson BryanRAnderson 45 Sacramento Bee Carla Marinucci cmarinucci 66 POLITICO Dan Morain DanielMorain 58 CALmatters Dan Walters DanCALmatters 56 CALMatters Doug Sovern SovernNation 59 KCBS Radio Jazmine Ulloa jazmineulloa 56 Los Angeles Times John Myers johnmyers 65 Los Angeles Times Jonathan Cooper**** jjcooper 53 Julie Cart julie_cart 52 CALMatters Katy Murphy katymurphy 55 Bay Area News Group Laurel Rosenhall LaurelRosenhall 58 CALMatters Liam Dillon dillonliam 62 Los Angeles Times Marisa Lagos mlagos 59 KQED Matt Levin mlevinreports 43 CALMatters Melanie Mason***** melmason 55 Los Angeles Times Melody Gutierrez****** MelodyGutierrez 58 San Francisco Chronicle Mike Luery KCRALuery 53 KCRA Patrick McGreevy mcgreevy99 56 Los Angeles Times Phil Willon philwillon 57 Los Angeles Times Scott Shafer scottshafer 49 KQED Seema Mehta LATSeema 63 Los Angeles Times Taryn Luna TarynLuna 51 Sacramento Bee

*@CapitolAlert formerly managed by Alexei Koseff; now managed by Bryan Anderson. **Alexei Koseff now covers the California Capitol for the San Francisco Chronicle. ***Angela Hart now covers California health care politics and policy and Gov. for POLITICO. ****Jonathan Cooper now covers politics and government for the Associated Press. *****Melanie Mason now covers the 2020 presidential race for the Los Angeles Times. ******Melody Gutierrez now covers California politics and state government for the Los Angeles Times. *******Taryn Luna now covers California politics and state government for the Los Angeles Times.

24 California Lawmakers

Influencer Scores

TOP DIGITAL INFLUENCERS

Who were 2018's most influential lawmakers on Twitter? California Digital intelligence, including Twitter Lawmakers conversations, contributes to effective policy and political advocacy, because understanding key audiences, their motivations and positions allows organizations to better position themselves in the marketplace of ideas, discussion and debate. California lawmakers and legislative staff use their voices on Twitter, providing insights into lawmaker priorities and alliances.

26 Item 1 1%

CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMEMBERS 79/80 HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT 98.7% *Includes only legislators who held office during the 2018 legislative session

Item 2 99% Member Account Handle Influencer Score AdamGrayCA 43 Asm_Nazarian 46 AMuratsuchi 44 AsmCaballero 40 Anthony Rendon Rendon63rd 59 Ash_Kalra 51 AsmAutumnBurke 48 Bill Brough BillBroughCA 29 AsmBillQuirk 46 AsmBlancaRubio 47 BrianDahleCA 56 BMaienschein 52 Catharine Baker CBakerAD16 53 Catharine Baker Baker4Assembly 46 Cecilia Aguiar-Curry AsmAguiarCurry 45 ChadMayesCA 51 ChrisHoldenNews 48 Cristina Garcia AsmGarcia 52 Dante Acosta AsmDanteAcosta 44 DavidChiu 61 AD26Mathis 46 AsmEdChau 35 Eduardo Garcia AsmEGarciaAD56 43 AsmReyes47 48 Evan_Low 56 FrankBigelowCA 53 AsmRodriguez52 52 HeathFloraCA 31 Ian Calderon IanCalderon 52 Ian Calderon IanAD57 46 ASM_Irwin 47 Jacqui Irwin jacquiirwin 47 James Gallagher J_GallagherAD3 51 JayObernolte 50

27 Member Account Handle Influencer Score AsmGabriel 36 Jesse Gabriel ASMGabriel 36 Jim Cooper AsmJimCooper 46 AsmFrazier 45 Jim Patterson JimPatterson559 52 Jim Wood JimWoodAD2 52 drarambulaAD31 41 Cunning_Jordan 45 AsmJoseMedina 47 KansenChu 45 KenCooley 42 KevinKileyCA 45 Kevin McCarty AsmKevinMcCarty 50 Kevin McCarty KevinMcCartyCA 48 kevinmullin 50 laurafriedman43 52 LorenaSGonzalez 63 Lorena Gonzalez LorenaAD80 53 LuzRivas 50 Luz Rivas AsmLuzRivas 33 AsmMarcBerman 46 MarcLevine_CA 50 Marc Steinorth MarcSteinorth 52 MarieWaldron75 53 AsmMarkStone 51 AsmHarper 49 asmMelendez 58 SantiagoAD53 47 AsmMikeGipson 52 Monique Limón AsmMoniqueLimon 45 Patrick O’Donnell AsmPatODonnell 50 PhilTing 59 PhillipChenCA 40 RandyVoepel 46 Reggie Jones-Sawyer JonesSawyer59 49 RichardBloom 56 RobBonta 52 Rob Bonta RobBontaCA 37 Rocky Chávez AsmRocky 0 , Jr. rudysalasjr 48 AsmCervantes 51

28 Member Account Handle Influencer Score Sharon Quirk-Silva QuirkSilva2018 50 Sharon Quirk-Silva QuirkSilva65th 43 AsmShirleyWeber 46 Steven choi4assembly 38 AsmStevenChoi68 28 SusanEggman 49 Susan Eggman AsmSusanEggman 47 -Dove sydneykamlager 43 Sydney Kamlager-Dove AsmKamlagerDove 35 Timothy Grayson AsmGrayson 44 Todd Gloria ToddGloria 58 Todd Gloria AsmToddGloria 51 TomLackey36 51 TonyThurmond 50 Travis Allen JoinTravisAllen 54 vfong 43 Vince Fong AsmVinceFong 36 wendycarrillo 62

Ninety-eight (98.7) percent of Assemblymembers maintain an active Twitter presence. The only Assemblymember not on Twitter is Assemblymember Tom Daly. Assemblymember Rocky Chávez deactivated his Twitter account when he ran for Congress. Several lawmakers used more than one account interchangeably, and in these situations, both handles are cited.

The Assemblymember with the highest influencer score was Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (63). This is the Assemblymember’s second appearance in Randle’s Top Influencers list. As the Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, Assemblymember Gonzalez holds a position of power that can determine the fate of a vast majority of legislation moving through the Assembly. Because of this, she was mentioned in many tweets advocating for or against legislation.

One example is actress Mariska Hargitay mentioning Assemblymember Gonzalez in a tweet urging the passage of AB 3118 (Chiu), one of the bills introduced during the 2018 session that addressed the backlog of rape kits. Assemblymember Gonzalez also authored two pieces of legislation that addressed harassment in the workplace and were heavily supported by labor coalitions.

New to the Top Influencer list is Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (62), who received the second highest influencer score in the Assembly. Assemblymember Carrillo was actively involved in immigrant rights issues in 2018, participating in events with the Families Belong Together, a coalition formed to fight the separation of families detained for being in the country illegally, and the National TPS Alliance, an organization formed to protect the Temporary Protective Status program and its beneficiaries. Assemblymember Carrillo also had high engagement on Twitter content addressing immigrant rights issues.

Assemblymember David Chiu (61) also returned to the top of the Influencer list after receiving the third highest influencer score among Assemblymembers, most notably for authoring AB 3118. In addition to Hargitay, the bill was supported by Actress Alyssa Milano and Hargitay’s foundation that provides support for sexual assault survivors, the Joyful Heart Foundation. The legislation was signed by Governor Brown.

29 Item 1 1%

CALIFORNIA SENATORS 39/40 HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT 97.5% *Includes only legislators who held office during the 2018 legislative session

Item 2 99% Member Account Handle Influencer Score Andy Vidak SenAndyVidak 52 Anthony Cannella AnthonyCannella 53 Anthony Portantino Portantino 48 Ben Allen BenAllenCA 55 Bill Dodd BillDoddCA 54 Bob Hertzberg hertzieLA 54 Bob Hertzberg SenateHertzberg 42 BobWieckowskiCA 45 SenatorGalgiani 47 SenatorLeyva 49 Ed Hernandez dredhernandez 53 Ed Hernandez SenatorDrEd22 40 Hannah-Beth Jackson SenHannahBeth 49 Henry Stern HenrySternCA 52 HollyJMitchell 57 SenJanetNguyen 46 Jean Fuller JeanFuller 54 Jeff Stone SenJeffStone 43 Jim Beall Jimbealljr 54 CASenatorJim 45 Joel Anderson JoelAndersonCA 54 SenatorMoorlach 52 Kevin de León kdeleon 66 LTwoC 48 Ling Ling Chang L2ChangCA 47 Mike McGuire ilike_mike 57 MikeMorrellGOP 52 Nancy Skinner NancySkinnerCA 44 Pat Bates SenatorPatBates 52 senricardolara 52 Ricardo Lara RicardoLara4CA 45 DrPanMD 53 Richard Roth GeneralRoth 48 Scott Wiener Scott_Wiener 66

30 Member Account Handle Influencer Score ScottWilkCA 54 Steve_Glazer 50 SteveBradford 47 TedGaines 53 Tom Berryhill TomBerryhill 51 Toni Atkins SenToniAtkins 53 Vanessa Delgado _DelgadoVanessa 33

Nearly all State Senators (97.5 percent) are also on Twitter. Senator is the only Senator who does not have an account. Senators and have Twitter accounts but are not active. Our report includes multiple accounts for lawmakers who use more than one profile.

Senators Scott Wiener (66) and Kevin de León (66) were tied for the highest influencer score. Both also appeared on our Top Influencer list last year. Senator Wiener gained national attention for authoring the Net Neutrality bill, SB 822. Then Senator de León gained attention for his bid to unseat U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein in the 2018 election.

Senators Holly Mitchell (57) and Mike McGuire (57) were tied for the next highest influencer scores. Senator Mitchell authored a number of social justice bills that addressed sentencing requirements for felons and modifying the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Senator McGuire was active in sharing information and updates regarding the Mendocino Complex Fire and authored SB 833, which required the Office of Emergency Services to develop voluntary guidelines for alerting and warning the public of an emergency. This bill was signed by the Governor Brown.

31 LOCATION: 500 Capitol Mall, Suite 1950, Sacramento, CA 95814 PHONE: 916 448 5802 EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.RandleCommunications.com TWIITTER: @randlecomm