Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Participants in this year’s KHTS Sacramento Trip will have a unique opportunity to dine with Gov. Jerry Brown, who will hold court at dinner March 19. With his unusual candor and approach to the budget, Brown’s keynote address and comments will surely be the highlight of the event.

The annual event, which gives local activists and elected officials a chance to speak to decision makers in the state Capitol, will take place March 19 and 20, with the bus leaving Santa Clarita early Monday morning and returning later Tuesday evening.

During the two-day sojourn, meetings are set up with legislators, lobbyists, committee chairs and other Capitol figures offering an inside look and making themselves available for questions about the issues that face our community and our state.

The 8th annual trip is sponsored by Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, who’s been the envy of his legislative colleagues in the past because of the group’s visit. Both Senate and Assembly members have told him that they wished they had access to influential people in their communities, both to help communicate the hardships of working an issue through the system and to get firsthand opinions and suggestions from people active in their district.

“It’s Cameron’s final year as Assemblyman, so what an incredible opportunity for us to thank him for his service,” said KHTS Co-owner Carl Goldman, who coordinates the trip. “Having the Governor as our keynote speaker will make this trip stand out as something extra special.”

Putting 70 people on a bus and driving up to the middle of the state was the brainchild of Goldman and the late Assemblyman Keith Richman, who lamented if he could only get the “movers and shakers” of his district up to Sacramento, they could see how complicated the government really is and gain a better understanding. Goldman quickly put together a group and the springtime tradition began.

In 2011, the Canyon Country Optimist Club saw the benefit of the trip for youth in the community and sponsored two Canyon High students’ attendance. That tradition will continue this year, giving two more students an experience of a lifetime.

Along with the meetings, past sojourns have included a tour of the California State Library, the State Supreme Court and a peek between the original Capitol dome and the one everyone sees from the outside. The meetings also give valuable time to network with key people influencing the issues, such as water, education, health care, energy and transportation, as well as building alliances for following up on programs back home.

This year’s trip is also sponsored by Carl and Jeri Seratti-Goldman, AT&T, the Castaic Lake Water Agency, the Facey Medical Group and Santa Clarita Studios. This year, the focus will be on lobbying issues impacting the state budget, including health, education, business, film and water.

The number of participants is limited to 75 people. For information and to make reservations, e-mail Goldman at carl@hometownstation.com.