BUNKHOUSE
new foundation position brings opportunity for all california ranchers by California Cattlemen’s Foundation Public Policy Advocate Victoria Rodriguez My name is Victoria Rodriguez and I am the newly hired Public Policy Advocate at the California Cattlemen’s Foundation (CCF). The Public Policy Advocate is a new position funded by the California Cattle Council through a grant provided by the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). This is not a lobbying position, so I will not be working on legislation, but I will be handling all the regulatory advocacy for CCF and CCA. The goal of my position is to advocate for all of California’s cattle ranchers and beef producers throughout the regulatory process, in interacting with state agencies and to provide regulatory assistance to any ranchers or producers who have questions. If you had asked me three years ago what I thought I would be doing after I graduated law school, I never would have been able to tell you that I expected to be working as a public policy advocate for CCF. When I entered the McGeorge School of Law as a first-year law student in the fall of 2018, I fully intended to graduate and go on to practice law as a health law attorney. I was ambitious, very young and completely naïve about what it would be like to be an attorney. I entered law school as part of the inaugural class of the McGeorge Accelerated Honors Program, meaning I had the option to graduate a semester early and take a series of more intensive classes. Going in, I knew it was going to be difficult—but I had no idea what I was getting into at 21 years old. I was born and raised in Modesto, a very rural mediumsized town in the Central Valley. My grandparents owned two acres in the outskirts of Stockton, I grew up with a love of farming and a strong appreciation for the hardworking folks that took care of the land. Though up until this point I have never had a job in the agricultural or ranching industries, it is something that I have always valued and advocated for. My husband often jokes that my farm girl is showing when I point out good soil or stop to appreciate well-cared for crops. When I interviewed with CCF, I truthfully had no idea what to expect. My expectations for what I would be doing with my career and what I wanted out of a job had changed a lot during law school. I went from aspiring health attorney to a possible state attorney, to a fierce public policy advocate. In my last year of law school, I changed my concentration 12 California Cattleman September 2021
to a public policy focus and decided that my unique skills and passion for making life better for people would be best utilized as a policy advocate. I spent both of my last semesters working on mental health reforms for California’s most vulnerable populations and learning what it takes to be a good advocate as a legislative intern at a local contract lobbyist firm. I fell in love with the human experience, with sitting down and having conversations with real people who had valid problems that I could help solve. Like I said, I had no idea what to expect when I walked into my interview at CCF. However, when I walked out, I knew it was where I wanted to be. My interviewers, Kirk Wilbur and Lisa Brendlen, who have both been at CCA for many years, were such genuine people who really sold me on the rewarding nature of advocating for California ranchers and producers. I heard again and again how amazing all the members are, how dedicated and kind these people were and how misrepresented they were in the public eye. Despite going to law school and paying a lot of money to get my degree, it was never my intention to do something to make a lot of money. What I really wanted to do was something that mattered for people who cared. I can confidently say, though I have only been here for a short while, that is something that I have found at CCF. I am so excited to interact with the cattle ranchers and beef producers here in California and learn more about what you do and how I can help make your lifestyles even better.
