Stop Essayli

When Trump appointed Bill Essayli—a right-wing California Assemblymember—as interim U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, advocates across the state recognized an immediate threat.

Essayli had authored anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the Assembly. Within 60 days of his interim appointment, he had already charged SEIU California President David Huerta with federal felonies, appeared to direct federal agents to detain U.S. Senator Alex Padilla at a public event, and used the Palm Springs bombing to advance an anti-choice agenda.

The challenge: build a rapid-response grassroots campaign to pressure California's U.S. Senators to withhold their "blue slips" and block Essayli's confirmation to a permanent term—before Trump could cement his appointment.

We launched StopEssayli.org as the hub for a multi-channel advocacy campaign combining digital organizing, earned media, coalition building, and direct outreach to elected officials.

Digital Infrastructure:

• Built a campaign website with petition tools, contact forms, and donation processing
• Deployed targeted MMS broadcasts to CADEM delegates, LGBTQ+ donors, progressive activists, and Democratic voters across key districts
• Segmented messaging by audience—different frames for delegates, LGBTQ+ community, labor supporters, and general progressives

Earned Media Strategy:

• Contributed to investigative reporting in Politico, The Intercept, LA Times, and Knock LA
• Secured front-page placement in the Press-Enterprise identifying StopEssayli.org as the campaign hub
• Coordinated with Sen. Schiff's staff on press amplification strategy for the Padilla incident

Coalition & Visibility:

• Organized virtual town halls with Working Families Party, Riverside County Democratic Party, and Indivisible groups
• Secured public letters from Assemblymember Corey Jackson and the Democratic Party of Orange County
• Visibility action at CADEM Convention attracted attention from Democratic delegates

The Stop Essayli campaign achieved significant victories in blocking a MAGA extremist from cementing power as U.S. Attorney.

Major Wins:

• Judge disqualified Essayli from a federal case, citing conflicts of interest and prosecutorial misconduct
• Senators Schiff and Padilla issued public statements opposing Essayli's appointment, using our talking points to slam Trump's "U.S. Attorney hijacking"
• Assemblymember Corey Jackson submitted a formal letter to both Senators urging them to block the appointment
• Sen. Schiff released a 12-minute video denouncing Essayli and the Trump administration's illegal maneuvers to keep him installed

Direct Advocacy Impact:

• 700+ advocacy actions taken through the campaign portal (emails, calls, petition signatures)
• Public letters from elected officials and party organizations urging Senators to block confirmation
• Direct engagement with Sen. Schiff's staff on confirmation strategy

Media Coverage:

• Featured in Politico, The Intercept, LA Times, Knock LA, Press-Enterprise, and SFGate
• Campaign directly cited in reporting on Essayli's prosecutorial overreach

MMS Program Results:

• 50,000+ text messages sent across 13 targeted broadcasts