Seeking: California Antimonopoly Policy Organizers

We at the Democracy Policy Network (DPN) are seeking a policy-minded, democratically-spirited volunteer to work with us this summer to research the potential of antimonopoly reform organizing in California. If you would like to organize with us, we would love to hear from you:

Apply to be a California Antimonopoly Policy Organizer

What’s the Democracy Policy Network?

Founded in 2019, the Democracy Policy Network (DPN) is an interstate network that organizes policy support for the next generation of state leaders working to deepen democracy in statehouses across America. By organizing policy experts, volunteer researchers, and statehouse leaders to gather, package, organize, and amplify a transformative, deep-dive policy agenda spanning every state issue, we aim to accelerate the democratic transformation of America. Learn more in our launch video below:

A new generation of legislators, armed with a fresh vision of deepening democracy — more power to more people in more ways — is shaking up statehouses across America. But a state policy gap threatens this groundswell! Movement policy is scattered and traditional policy infrastructure isn’t bold enough. There’s no synchronized, interstate offensive to counter the anti-democratic policy assault on the states. And the Movement’s state legislators feel isolated and understaffed. They want backup from an interstate community.

DPN aims to provide that backup by organizing policy support for the Movement’s state legislators and staffers. A new think tank isn’t what’s needed. The Movement’s ideas are out there — and the Movement’s state legislators are ready to champion them. What’s needed is some interstate organization and coordination. That’s where DPN comes in:

1. We train policy organizers to gather and package state policy ideas from Movement advocates and thinkers.
2. We publish policy kits that make transformative state policy ideas radically accessible — and ready to champion.
3. We convene the Movement’s state legislators to connect them to one another and to the Movement’s policies.
4. We support members of our state legislator network as they champion big ideas in their respective statehouses.

DPN’s mission is to organize an interstate policy agenda and a community of state leaders to champion it. Learn more at our website, DemocracyPolicy.network.

What’s the California Antimonopoly Policy Organizer?

We are seeking part-time, policy-minded, democratically-spirited individuals to volunteer with us this summer on researching the potential for antimonopoly reform organizing in California. While federal antimonopoly efforts are well publicized, states are often less discussed as sites of antimonopoly reform, including California. California possesses a wide array of antimonopoly tools that can raise workers’ wages, lower prices, and reign in unaccountable corporate power. We cover the specifics of what states can do in our State Antimonopoly Toolkit.

California Antimonopoly Policy Organizers would be responsible for identifying and engaging key antimonopoly stakeholders labor groups, consumer groups, small business groups, farmers and farmworker groups, and citizens groups, and communicating findings through a report assessing what antimonopoly organizing could look like in California.

This is self-directed, remote work with routine check-ins. Volunteer organizers would work a minimum of 5 hours a week and maximum full-time with accompanying university or outside funding. They would be tasked with the following:

• Identify and outreach to key antimonopoly stakeholders in labor groups, consumer groups, small business groups, farmers and farmworker groups, and citizens groups.
• Have initial interview/organizing conversations with stakeholders to understand their needs/thinking on antimonopoly organizing.
• Communicate your findings through short memos or a longer report to provide an assessment of what antimonopoly organizing could look like in California.

With that information in mind, outline possible next steps, including but not limited to:

• A coalition call with interested stakeholders
• Submissions to the California Law Review Commission on Abuse of Dominance
• Advocacy around California Antimonopoly bills/initiative: Non-Compete Reform Bill; Junk Fees; Right to repair; California Oil Price Gouging; FAST Recovery Act

The volunteer opportunity is open to both undergraduate and graduate students — as well as folks working in other professions. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis, but June 1 is our hard deadline.

For any questions, please email michaelswerdlow@democracypolicy.network

Would I be a good fit as a California Antimonopoly Policy Organizer?

If you are policy-minded, democratically-spirited, and love reading, writing, active listening, and qualitatively interviewing experts, you would make a great volunteer California Antimonopoly Policy Organizer. Having a background in or being excited to learn about antimonopoly reform is a plus, though you don’t need to be an expert (yet!) and you don’t need to have professionally done things like this before. We are a great on-ramp for folks wanting to get started in the policy organizing process. We love working with students, young (and young-at-heart) idealists, and folks working in other professions but who have some free hours each week to help out with the cause. Perform effective outreach to stakeholders from all walks of life.

How do I apply?

Apply at democracypolicy.network/caantimonopoly or by clicking the image below. The application is quick — we just need a bit of information about you and your interests to see if you are a good fit for our Fall cycle.

We are processing applications on a rolling basis, but our hard deadline is June 1.

We hope you can join us — and pass this information along to others who you think would be interested.