State Association of County Retirement Systems (SACRS) legislative staff and volunteers work together through the the organization's Legislative Committee. SACRS lobbying efforts are responsible for monitoring and reviewing active California Public Pension legislation. Additionally, SACRS Legislative Committee, on behalf of the membership, drafts and introduces requested legislation for the 20 California retirement systems operating under the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL).
Laurie Johnson President, LJ Consulting
As a former Capitol staffer and an advocate, Ms. Johnson brings almost 30 years of legislative experience to this position. Ms. Johnson spent five working in the state Capitol as Legislative Director for several members of legislative leadership where she focused on local government, water, and utilities. For the last eleven years, she has been a contract lobbyist for a boutique lobbying firm, including most recently her own.
She spent seven years focused on healthcare policy leading a policy staff, advocating on behalf of a large statewide healthcare association. Prior to that, Ms. Johnson advocated on behalf of 10 California counties as a lobbyist, where she was a lead for the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors.
In 2022, Ms. Johnson started her own firm LJ Consulting & Advocacy, specializing in local government and environmental policy and partnered with many of her former clients, including but not limited to five local agencies, housing developers, a large Northern California tribe as well as a County. Laurie holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Chico.
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Cara Martinson President and Founder, Public House Consulting
Cara is a seasoned government affairs professional with two decades of lobbying and consulting experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors of government. Prior to founding Public House Consulting in 2022, Cara served as the Senior Director of Regulatory and Political Affairs for a Fortune 200 national renewable energy company where she managed the legislative and regulatory portfolio for ten western states. Cara also spent 13 years leading local government interests at the California State Capitol, representing counties at the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) on a myriad of local government issues.
In addition to her experience in the halls of the state Capitol, Cara spent the better part of a decade as a practitioner at the local level, serving as an appointed Sacramento County planning commissioner reviewing and approving development proposals and helping to shape land use decisions in the county.
Cara holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in politics from Brandeis University.