Advocacy Council 2007 Retreat

Government affairs specialists from throughout the state gathered in the state’s capital June 21 for the California Chamber Advocacy Council’s 2007 Conference.

The conference started with a dinner June 20 at the historic Leland Stanford Mansion in Sacramento. Adam Mendelsohn, deputy chief of staff - communications for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, provided lively and entertaining commentary on the daily challenges of dealing with the media and developing communications strategies for the Governor.

The next day, Council Chair Timothy McCallion, president, West region, Verizon, presided over the day-long gathering, which focused on California’s changing political environment. CalChamber President Allan Zaremberg warmly welcomed council members to the conference, held at the CalChamber headquarters in Sacramento.

The conference agenda kicked off with Dan Dunmoyer, cabinet secretary and deputy chief of staff to Governor Schwarzenegger, who provided key insights on the major issues in state government.

Jan Van Lohuizen, president of Voter Consumer Research, did a major presentation on California’s political environment, including an overview on voter support and opposition on term limits.

In the morning panel on term limits and redistricting, panel members Robert Stutzman of Navigators Consulting, Gale Kaufman of Kaufman Campaigns, Jon Fleishman of Fleishman Consulting Group and Tim Hodson of California State University, Sacramento presented perspectives on potential intiatives for the February 5, 2008 election. California Business Roundtable President Bill Hauck did a great job in moderating this challenging issue.

Luncheon keynote speaker Robert Novak, nationally syndicated columnist and television personality, discussed the likely candidate line-ups for the 2008 presidential race and provided humorous insights on the national political scene.

The post-luncheon panel tackled how to influence pro-business policy in the Legislature and Governor's office. The panel featured Richard Costigan of Mamatt, Phelps and Philips; Kevin Sloat of Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates; John Shallman of Shallman Communications; and Bob Giroux of Lang, Hansen, O’Malley and Miller.

The final panel discussed new tools for the future of the ever-changing political environment and included panelists Beth Miller of Wilson-Miller Communications, Inc.; Jon Fleishman; Bryan Merica of ID Media; and Liz Snow of the California Dental Association. Cassandra Pye, senior vice president of APCO Worldwide, also did a superb job in moderating the final two panels.

Rob Lapsley, CalChamber's vice president of public affairs, concluded the conference with a brief review of the CalChamber's strategic plan and discussed the timelines for the advocacy council to reconvene and review the initiatives for the February 2008 ballot.

For additional information on the council and how to become a member, please contact public.affairs@calchamber.com.

Adam Mendelsohn, deputy chief of staff - communications to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, addresses the advocacy  council dinner guests on June 20 with commentary on the Governor's communication strategies.		Advocacy Council Chair Timothy McCallion welcomes members to the 2007 Conference.
Dan Dunmoyer, cabinet secretary and deputy chief of staff to Governor Schwarzenegger, kicked off the speaker agenda with a discussion of current issues at the Capitol.		President of Voter Consumer Research Jan Van Lohuizen outlines California's political environment and discusses  potential term limits initiatives.
The conference's keynote speaker, Robert Novak, nationally syndicated columnist and television personality, and Council Chair Tim McCallion.		Robert Novak, nationally syndicated columnist and television personality, speculates on likely line-ups for the 2008 presidential race and other pending political possiblities during the conference luncheon.
California Business Roundtable President Bill Hauck moderated the panel discussing term limits and redistricting.		Cassandra Pye, senior vice president of APCO Worldwide, moderated the afternoon panel discussions.
Panelist Tim Hodson of California State University, Sacramento, with CalChamber Vice President of Public Affairs Rob Lapsley.		CalChamber president Allan Zaremberg participated in the concluding discussion of the CalChamber's strategic plan.
CalChamber Vice President of Public Affairs Rob Lapsley concludes the conference with a brief review of the CalChamber's strategic plan and briefing council members about upcoming discussions.

			The first panel discussed term limits and redistricting, moderated by Bill Hauck of the California Business Roundtable. From left: Tim Hodson of CSU, Sacramento; Jon Fleishman of Fleishman Consulting Group; Robert Stutzman of Navigators Consulting; and Gale Kaufman of Kaufman Campaigns.

		Participating in the panel on "The Changing Political Environment - Making Pro-Business Policy a Reality" were (from left) John Shallman, Shallman Communications; Bob Giroux, Lang, Hansen, O'Malley and Miller; Richard Costigan, Manatt, Phelps and Philips; and Kevin Sloat, Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates.

		The final panel discussed "The Changing Political Environment - Tools of the Future," featuring Beth Miller of Wilson-Miller Communications, Inc.; Jon Fleishman; Bryan Merica of ID Media; and Liz Snow of the California Dental Association.