SACRAMENTO – The California chapter of the Association of Club Executives (ACE), the trade association that represents America’s adult nightclubs, invited their members to Sacramento April 26-27 to participate in the group’s first Lobby Day.
Event organizers are calling the first California ACE (Association of Club Executives) Lobby Day a success, noting that well over a hundred members participated in the lobbying effort.
"It was extremely gratifying to see and be part of the huge crowd we brought to Sacramento,” Larry Kaplan, the executive director of both ACE of California and ACE of Michigan, told AVN.
ACE of California board member Doug Marks echoed Kaplan’s sentiment, saying “It never ceases to amaze me how many people come from around the state to support ACE in protecting our industry.”
The general membership was just as satisfied with event. Don Krontz, a regional manager for the Deja Vu chain, wasn’t convinced that lobbying would be worthwhile going into the event but left as a supporter of the endeavor.
“I thought Lobby Days was going to be another one of those things that would be a big waste of time and money. Boy did I get a wakeup call,” Krontz said. “This is one of the best things the California adult nightclub industry and ACE has ever done.”
The attendees represented every aspect of the adult nightclub industry, ranging from entertainers to service staff to management to owners. Cory, an entertainer at Deja Vu Ontario, found the experience interesting. “"It was a blast, experiencing the inner workings of where laws are made," she said.
Her co-worker Chase, also an entertainer, chimed in that the Lobby Day was, "an experience of a lifetime, knowing that we entertainers are such a huge part of society and being able to tell our side of it as well."
A total of 132 members of ACE of California attended a lobbying training seminar on April 26 to prepare for the following day, when they met with three dozen lawmakers personally and had meetings with several state officials including a senior advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Who would have thought when we started ACE 10 years ago that we would be meeting with the senior advisor to the Governor of California? We've certainly come a long way," noted Kaplan.
The day ended with an ACE legislative reception held at Chops Restaurant, a surf and turf establishment half a block from the state capitol that is known as a favorite amongst the state’s politicians and lobbyists. Nearly a dozen lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, attended the ACE legislative reception.
ACE National Trade Association executive director Angelina Spencer, who traveled from Florida to participate in the event, thinks that Lobby Day should be adopted by ACE chapters nationwide. “I would recommend holding a Lobby Day as a must for any state ACE chapter hoping to educate its members about the political process and wanting to put a face to the industry for government.”
Though there was no legislation currently under consideration to lobby for or against, Matt Gray, a lobbyist for Capitol Alliance, the lobbying firm ACE has retained to represent the group’s interests in the state capitol, felt the meet and greet had a positive impact on the perception of the adult nightclub industry. "It was important for lawmakers and staff to personally hear about the interests and concerns of the adult nightclub industry. Nobody came into the Capitol that day without knowing ACE was in town."
