CALL YOUR COUNCILMEMBER/MAYOR

Phone calls are an easy way to communicate your desire to Save Our Services in San José to elected councilmembers and the mayor.  Below is a checklist of things that you should do to make your call as effective as possible: 

BEFORE YOUR CALL 

1. Learn about the budget issues at SOSsj.com/learn.html. This area of the website is designed to help you learn more about the Fiscal Crisis at the City of San José, the magnitude of the budget deficit and the drastic service cuts that are planned – if possible, call about a specific service cut that affects you and your family.
2. Clarify and write down the reasons that you support saving this service and the reasons that you think your councilmember and the mayor should adopt your position.  Be sure to use the information and data provided on SOSsj.com.
3. Take 10-15 minutes to rehearse what you want to say.
4. Get your councilmember's and the mayor’s name and phone numbers by clicking here.

DURING YOUR CALL 

1. If you can’t speak to your councilmember or the mayor, then ask to speak to their chief of staff or policy director.
2. Introduce yourself and the fact that you are a constituent (if you are).
3. If there is a specific service that you are concerned with, identify the service that you support saving or propose eliminating.
4. State the reasons why you support saving or propose eliminating that service and why you think your councilmember or mayor should adopt your position.
5. Ask your councilmember, the mayor or his or her staff member to support your position.

If he or she is supportive of your position, then ask him or her to assist by speaking out in favor of your position, asking his or her colleagues to support your position, or forwarding informational materials to his or her colleagues.  Offer to be a resource to support his or her efforts. 

If he or she is opposed to or angered by your position, or makes ill-informed comments, don’t get angry or rude in response; just educate more and more of his or her constituents.  The more constituents that he or she hears from, the more likely he or she will learn more about the issue, understand the depth of support among his or her constituents and review his or her positions. 

If he or she is noncommittal, then ask what else you can do to help him or her make a commitment, and ask when he or she expects to take a position. 

Finally, if he or she wants further information or asks a question to which you don’t have an answer, say that you’ll get back to him or her with an answer.  If you can’t easily find the information on the SOSsj.com website within one day of your call, then give the District 1 council office a call and we will help you find it (408-535-4901). 

6. Provide your contact information and request the contact information of the person to whom you are speaking so that you can effectively follow up.
7. End your call on a positive note.  Thank your councilmember, the mayor or his or her staff person for taking the time to speak with you.

AFTER YOUR CALL 

1. Immediately after your call, fill out and submit a Call Evaluation Form online at SOSsj.com/Evaluation, by fax to (408) 333-9621 or by email to evaluations@SOSsj.com.
2. Provide any information that you might have mentioned during your call. 
3. Follow up with your councilmember, the mayor and/or his or her staff person on the specific service(s) that you spoke about and work to develop a relationship.  If you are unable to reach the appropriate staff person, then leave a message.  Be persistent, but professional, in all of your follow up communications.

PROTOCOL 

Remember to be polite.  Always say please and thank you.  And never shout or yell at your elected representatives or their staff.