Navigating complex policy environments with precision — building the coalitions that move legislation forward.
With deep roots in the California State Legislature and decades of direct advocacy experience, Dave Butler helps public and private sector clients engage effectively at the state and local level. When the stakes are high and the process is complex, Butler Strategies is the partner you need.
Work With UsButler Strategies provides end-to-end policy and advocacy services for organizations that need more than a lobbyist. Dave brings the strategic thinking, the relationships, and the hands-on execution to move your priorities forward.
Whether you're a trade association building a PAC, a local government advancing state funding priorities, or a coalition organization engaging the legislature for the first time, Butler Strategies meets you where you are and helps you get where you need to go.
Dave doesn't just show up at the Capitol. He builds the groundwork — the relationships, the coalitions, the data — that makes the ask compelling long before the hearing date arrives.
Every engagement starts with a clear-eyed assessment of what you want to achieve, what the political landscape looks like, and what it will realistically take to succeed — so expectations and strategy are aligned from day one.
Who are the decision makers? Who are the allies? Who are the opponents? Dave brings deep knowledge of California's political ecosystem to identify the right targets, the right messengers, and the right timing.
Individual voices matter — but coalitions move policy. Dave recruits and coordinates the diverse stakeholders needed to demonstrate breadth of support across sectors, regions, and political affiliations.
With strategy set and allies assembled, Dave leads direct engagement — meetings, testimony, public comment, and ongoing relationship management — through to resolution.
Dave began his career inside the legislature itself — giving him a foundational understanding of how the process works, how decisions are made, and what it takes to build relationships with the people who matter.
Led state and federal advocacy efforts for one of California's largest regional chambers, managing the nation's largest chamber lobbying trip to Washington, D.C. and running major ballot measure campaigns.
Served as lobbyist for UCAN — the United Chamber Advocacy Network, a coalition of local chambers Dave founded in 2018 — and for multiple statewide professional associations before the California legislature.
Rebuilt GASPAC from near collapse to a $1 million war chest — engineering a dues and contribution structure that generated $300,000+ in annual contributions and positioned CSA among the top medical PACs in California.
When a unified dues billing agreement caused GASPAC contributions to collapse from $150,000 to $10,000 annually, Dave engineered a new dues structure that reversed the decline — generating $300,000+ per year and achieving a $1 million war chest in under four years.
Founded in 2018, UCAN gives local chambers a unified voice at the state level. Under Dave's leadership, UCAN successfully lobbied to reinstate unemployment job search requirements and defeated mandatory employee COVID vaccination legislation.
Organized and staffed winning campaigns for a $1.7 billion transportation tax extension and a $265 million community college bond — building broad coalitions across political parties, sectors, and communities to deliver victory at the ballot box.
Connecting communities, businesses, and institutions to create lasting regional prosperity through inclusive, community-driven strategies.
Guiding organizations through complex transitions with structure, clarity, and the principled leadership needed to sustain long-term impact.