On April 22, dozens of volunteers, families, and community partners joined the Los Angeles LGBT Center to participate in our LGBTQ+ Community Centers Advocacy Day to push for five requests in California’s 2026-27 budget.
The day kicked off at the Sacramento LGBT Community Center with training on how to connect with lawmakers. Assemblymember Rick Zbur joined us to voice his support for our budget requests—including funding for the LGBTQ Community Center Fund and gender-affirming care—calling on other elected officials to lead during this difficult time for the LGBTQ+ community.
Participants—both in person at the State Capitol and online—met with 45 legislators and their staff to urge them to support our budget requests. Folks shared with assemblymembers how this funding would impact their lives and the lives of people in their communities. Those who were not able to participate in person were also invited to contact elected officials and share why this funding is important to them via email and phone. A big thank you to everyone who participated.
But the fight isn’t over. The state’s budget won’t be finalized until June. There is still time to contact your California assemblymembers and urge their support for the LGBTQ+ community and ask them to allocate funding life-saving services.
This is how you can stay involved:
Who to contact:
- Find phone numbers for your representatives in the state assembly and senate by entering your address at https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
- We will also be calling two key legislators—the Chairs of the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees:
- Senator John Laird: (916) 651-4017
- Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel: (916) 319-2046
What to say:
Get in touch with your California representatives and urge them to support our budget requests to help LGBTQ+ people thrive in the Golden State.
It only takes 2–3 minutes per call. If no one answers, leave a voicemail—legislators’ offices keep track of every message and call that comes in and use that information to guide their decision-making.
Here is a quick call script, but feel free to adapt it to your own voice:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I am calling from [Your City].
I’m calling to urge [Assemblymember/Senator ___] to support critical funding for LGBTQ+ communities in this year’s state budget.
Specifically, I’m asking him to support $35 million dollars for the LGBTQ Community Center Fund and $26 million dollars for the Gender Affirming Care Fund. These investments are essential to ensure LGBTQ+ Californians can access care, services, and community support.
Thank you for your time and for standing with our community.
A few tips:
- Be polite and clear; staffers log every call.
- Personalize your message if you can. (“This matters to me because…”)
- Calls during business hours are great, but voicemails anytime help too.
Send an email: You can replicate the same script above and email your representative (the info is in the link above.) You can email California Sen. John Laird by using the website here, and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel using this link.
