Lobby Day Put Safe Streets on the Agenda

Last month, CalBike Lobby Day brought advocates, community leaders, bike coalition staff, riders, parents, and local organizers into meetings with legislators and staff from across the state. Together, participants made the case for CalBike’s 2026 legislative priorities, including stronger protections against illegal e-motos being marketed as e-bikes, reforms to the Active Transportation Program, and increased funding for connected bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

For many participants, the day was a chance to see advocacy up close for the first time. “Lobby Day was an opportunity to learn how to advocate with legislative staff and also to work together with fellow advocates from my community,” said Mick Klasson, a community member who joined meetings with fellow local advocates.

Sophie Nenner of Bicycle Transit Systems said the day helped make the legislative process feel more accessible: “CalBike Lobby Day made me feel prepared and impactful, with valuable prep time to learn directly from experts about bills I don’t always have time to fully dissect.”

Across the Capitol, advocates found legislative offices eager to better understand the difference between legal e-bikes and illegal e-motos. That distinction was central to many conversations as supporters explained that California should enforce the laws already on the books and stop companies from selling high-powered motor vehicles as if they were bicycles, without punishing the families, workers, students, and older adults who rely on legal e-bikes.

In several meetings, advocates also pushed for stronger state investment in the Active Transportation Program. California’s bike and pedestrian projects are routinely oversubscribed, leaving high-quality safety projects unfunded even when local communities are ready to build them. Lobby Day participants made the case that the state should fund complete networks, not disconnected fragments.

Some meetings were encouraging. Some were challenging. That is exactly why showing up matters. Lawmakers and staff heard directly from people who bike in their districts, organize in their communities, run local coalitions, work in bike shops, and understand how state policy shows up on the ground.

One of the most substantive conversations came in a meeting with Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens. Advocates described a fast-moving discussion about e-bike legislation, active transportation funding, and the need to get the details right. It was not an easy meeting, but it was a useful one: the kind of exchange that helps clarify concerns, surface next steps, and keep the door open for better policy.

CalBike Lobby Day was a reminder that advocacy is not abstract. It happens in rooms, in conversations, and in the steady work of our whole coalition, helping decision-makers understand what is at stake. Safer streets are not inevitable, even when the need is clear. They happen because people organize, prepare, show up, and keep showing up.

Thank you to every advocate who joined us in Sacramento, every partner who helped prepare participants, and every legislator and staff member who took the time to listen.