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Legislative · California · 2026
Small business owners turned a technical energy fight into a law.
- 280+
- small business owners
- 1 week
- to beat the 250 goal
- Signed
- into California law
Outcome
SB 886 passed and was signed into law on September 21, 2026.
Lawmakers were debating who should pay for the electricity infrastructure behind new data centers. The policy was technical and the clock was running out. Influent became the small business layer inside a broader coalition campaign. Instead of a form letter, owners explained what rising costs were already doing to their businesses. Their answers became individual messages to the Governor and legislative leaders, and the strongest voices were surfaced for interviews and earned media.
In their own words
"There are times when I have to choose whether to lay off employees, or pay my outrageous power bill."
"We're having to close our business of 35 years due to high costs."
What Influent built
Audience acquisition · Story capture · Grassroots · Earned media · Coalition support