About AVFCA and AVFC
Who We Are
Founded in 2015, A Voice for Choice Advocacy (AVFCA) and its sister organization A Voice for Choice (AVFC) began as a grassroots response to SB 277, which removed personal belief exemptions for school vaccines, and have grown into California’s most active and effective advocacy organizations championing health rights, informed choice, environmental stewardship and healthier futures for all.
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- AVFCA (501(c)(4)) is the advocacy arm, dedicated to lobbying, legislative action, and litigation.
- AVFC (501(c)(3)) is the educational arm, providing research, resources, and publications to inform and empower the public.
Who We Are
Founded in 2015, A Voice for Choice Advocacy (AVFCA) and its sister organization A Voice for Choice (AVFC) began as a grassroots response to SB 277, which removed personal belief exemptions for school vaccines, and have grown into California’s most active and effective advocacy organizations championing health rights, informed choice, environmental stewardship and healthier futures for all.
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- AVFCA (501(c)(4)) is the advocacy arm, dedicated to lobbying, legislative action, and litigation.
- AVFC (501(c)(3)) is the educational arm, providing research, resources, and publications to inform and empower the public.
Our Mission
A Voice for Choice Advocacy is a professional grassroots-based organization that educates, advocates and empowers people to be fully informed about their health rights, with respect to informed choice, transparency and privacy, including the composition, quality, and short- and long-term health effects of all products that go into people’s bodies, such as food, water, air, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Why We Matter
In a politically divided country, AVFCA bridges the gap: thousands of Californians from all walks of life want healthier food, cleaner environments, and stronger parental rights. Few, however, dedicate themselves to advocating every day in the Capitol, in courtrooms, and in communities. That is the role AVFCA fills.
Our work ensures that families’ voices are heard, their rights are protected, and their children’s futures are safeguarded.
Why We Matter
In a politically divided country, AVFCA bridges the gap: thousands of Californians from all walks of life want healthier food, cleaner environments, and stronger parental rights. Few, however, dedicate themselves to advocating every day in the Capitol, in courtrooms, and in communities. That is the role AVFCA fills.
Our work ensures that families’ voices are heard, their rights are protected, and their children’s futures are safeguarded.
Our Work In Action
Advocacy at the Capitol
For over a decade, AVFCA has been a constant presence in Sacramento, building relationships across the aisle and ensuring that parents and children have a voice in policy decisions. Each year, our Legislative Team tracks and weighs in on hundreds of bills, holding scores of legislative meetings and supporting many measures that advance health rights, transparency, environmental stewardship, and consumer safety. Unlike larger organizations with substantial funding, AVFCA has advanced bills through the Legislature on the strength of advocacy alone.
- In 2020, AVFCA worked with Asm. Cristina Garcia on AB 1989 (Menstrual Products Right to Know Act), requiring ingredient disclosure on product labels and websites.AVFCA’s sponsorship of AB-1989 (2020) sparked California’s momentum on menstrual product safety. That landmark bill paved the way for AB-2515 (Papan, 2024) banning PFAS and the current push with AB-754 (Durazo) addressing additional harmful chemicals, clear proof of AVFCA’s lasting impact and inspiration in this space.
- In 2023, AVFCA sponsored the Cool Schools Act (SB 499, Menjivar), requiring schools and childcare facilities to adopt heat action plans, remove toxic surfaces, plant shade trees, and build gardens to mitigate extreme heat and air pollution.
- In 2024, Senator Limón introduced SB 1266, on behalf of AVFCA, banning all bisphenols — not just BPA — from children’s teething and feeding products.
AVFCA has also played a leading role in opposing or amending legislation that threatened health rights, parental authority, privacy, and consumer choice. While early bills such as SB 277 were difficult losses, more recent proposals have been stopped, overturned, or significantly amended:
- SB 866 (2022), which would have allowed minors to consent to vaccines without parental involvement, was defeated.
- SB 742 (2021), restricting protests near vaccination sites, was amended and later overturned in court.
- AB 659 (2023), originally an HPV vaccine mandate for 7th graders, was changed to a recommendation.
- AB 1830 (2024), which would have required all masa corn products to contain folic acid, was amended so that unfortified options remain available.
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AVFCA has also challenged measures expanding government surveillance, restricting parental access to medical records, and regulating physician speech, ensuring these issues remain central to California’s policy debate.
See the hundreds of bills AVFCA has sponsored, supported, or opposed avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/legislation
Education & Empowerment
At the core of AVFC’s mission is equipping Californians with the knowledge and tools to make informed choices and engage effectively in policy debates.
- Empower Yourself & Practical Resources – Action-oriented guides and tools on vaccine requirements, medical records, religious exemptions, and even practical projects like rainwater collection and tree planting — helping Californians safeguard their rights and support healthier living. https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/empower-yourself/
- Navigating the Legislative Process – A clear breakdown of how bills move through the California Legislature, showing citizens how and when they can most effectively engage.https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/california-legislation-process/
- Articles, Blog & Magazine – AVFCA has published over 150 research-based articles on health, lifestyle, and environmental topics through our blog and Substack. A Voice Unfiltered magazine, issued three times a year, compiles these articles for wider distribution in homes, schools, and healthcare offices — reflecting our ongoing commitment to education, empowerment, and transparency. https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/blog/
Litigation
AVFCA is currently the only California-based organization with two active lawsuits challenging SB 277. These lawsuits are a historic moment for our organization:
- Religious Exemption Lawsuit – seeks to reinstate religious exemptions for K–12 school entry in California. This fight brings us full circle, back to the very reason AVFCA was founded in 2015, and is central to protecting families’ rights. https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/empower-yourself/
- Titer Testing Lawsuit – seeks to allow antibody titers as an alternative to vaccination for school requirements.
Learn more about our current lawsuits and legal advocacy: avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/avfca-litigation/
Litigation
AVFCA is currently the only California-based organization with two active lawsuits challenging SB 277. These lawsuits are a historic moment for our organization:
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- Religious Exemption Lawsuit – seeks to reinstate religious exemptions for K–12 school entry in California. This fight brings us full circle, back to the very reason AVFCA was founded in 2015, and is central to protecting families’ rights. https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/empower-yourself/
- Titer Testing Lawsuit – seeks to allow antibody titers as an alternative to vaccination for school requirements.
Learn more about our current lawsuits and legal advocacy: avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/avfca-litigation/
Our Team and Growth
A Voice for Choice Advocacy was founded by Christina Hildebrand. Christina is passionate about ensuring people know what they are putting into their bodies – be it food, air or medications. For the past 10 years, Christina has spent many thousands of hours researching and sharing her knowledge within her local community. However, with the growth of The Big Ag and Big Pharma’s influences on US politics, Christina realized that she needed to take this to a different level and let the people’s Voice for Choice be heard in State legislatures, as well as on a national level. The many powerful grassroots groups need to come together and express themselves as one LOUD super powerful voice, rather than many hundreds of smaller voices.
For the first several years, AVFCA and AVFC operated almost entirely with volunteers, one part-time assistant, and contract lobbyists. In 2022, recognizing the need to expand our reach and effectiveness, we hired a small professional team including a Legislative Director, Grassroots Director, and Managing Editor while remaining fiscally responsible and mission-driven.
AVFCA is also supported by a committed legal team and by the generosity of donors who believe in our mission. AVFCA’s founder donates her time, expertise, and financial resources, underscoring the personal commitment and passion behind this work.
Christina Hildebrand
Founder and President
christina@avoiceforchoice.org
Christina is an entrepreneur, having started several businesses over the years, but her passion is being a mother to her two wonderful daughters. In 2015, in response to SB277 (school vaccine mandate law in California), Christina founded A Voice for Choice Advocacy (AVFCA). Subsequently, she hired a lobbyist in Sacramento, with whom she spent every Monday–Wednesday during the legislative session, lobbying against SB277 and SB792 (child care employee vaccine mandate bill). Christina then founded A Voice for Choice, Inc. (AVFC) in order to further the mission to educate, advocate, and empower people to know their health rights in California. Over the past eight years, Christina has ensured professional growth to AVFCA and AVFC, resulting in two organizations leading the fight for your and your children’s health rights.
Lea Jones
Legislative Director
lea@avoiceforchoice.org
Lea Jones is a lifelong community advocate who began her work at the grassroots level in Oakland, CA, providing clinical mental health and mentorship opportunities for local high school students. By collaborating with nonprofit orgs, high school athletic departments, and collegiate institutions, she assisted students with completing high school and transitioning into college. Thereafter, Lea became certified as an herbalist/aromatherapist/holistic healer, which moved her into deeper understandings of how environmental issues impact our daily lives, and how one can work with state legislatures to safe-guard our environmental
treasures for future generations. She remains passionate about the well-being of our youth population, environmental issues, organic farming, and legitimizing botanical medicine.
April Robinson
Legislative Assistant
april@avoiceforchoice.org
April Robinson is a Legislative Assistant with A Voice for Choice Advocacy (AVFCA) who operates as a Capitol strategist, securing meetings, shaping bill language, coordinating coalitions, and building support across committees to turn priorities into policy. She draws on 10+ years in finance to bring disciplined analysis and results-focused execution to every engagement. A pillar of Northern California’s autism community and a certified functional medicine health coach, April is a trusted bridge between families and policymakers, advancing informed choice, transparency, and safer products. Off the clock, she hikes and travels with her two children and spends time with her Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
Karen Amigon
Grassroots Outreach Director
karen@avoiceforchoice.org
Karen is an advocate for health rights, and for environmental issues affecting our communities today. She began her advocacy journey for health rights in 2019, and continued to build rapport with legislators about the issues that are important to her community. Karen’s passion continues to be in building community, and enjoys hosting community events and homeschool events in Los Angeles. She has a love for empowering the Spanish speaking community of Los Angeles on what calls to action we can take for a better tomorrow. Karen is a mother, and she enjoys road trips, and the beach with her daughter.
Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D
Managing Editor
nicki@avoiceforchoice.org
Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D., is a health psychology educator, author, and founder of Steinberger Editing. She serves as managing editor at A Voice for Choice Advocacy, where she leads a group of writers, provides project management, and delivers senior-level editing for weekly editorial publications. As a holistic health teacher and advocate, Nicki has led community-based workshops throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, focusing on mindset mastery, The Shadow & Light Framework™, and lifestyle practices for stress reduction and diabetes prevention. A dedicated cold-water plunger, Nicki loves the ocean and rivers, yoga and meditation, and connecting with spirit-centered people.
Kira Fernandez
Social Media Coordinator
kira@avoiceforchoice.org
Kira has been with A Voice for Choice Advocacy (AVFCA) since 2016. She researches a wide variety of content consistent with AVFCA’s mission, and posts on all social media platforms. Kira’s position at AVFCA has been an integral part of her awakening to the truth of the world we live in. Kira hopes the information she shares will help others on their journey as well.
Board of Directors
Christina Hildebrand
Founder and President
AVFC, AVFCA
Christina is an entrepreneur, having started several businesses over the years, but her passion is being a mother to her two wonderful daughters. In 2015, in response to SB277 (school vaccine mandate law in California), Christina founded A Voice for Choice Advocacy (AVFCA). Subsequently, she hired a lobbyist in Sacramento, with whom she spent every Monday–Wednesday during the legislative session, lobbying against SB277 and SB792 (child care employee vaccine mandate bill). Christina then founded A Voice for Choice, Inc. (AVFC) in order to further the mission to educate, advocate, and empower people to know their health rights in California. Over the past eight years, Christina has ensured professional growth to AVFCA and AVFC, resulting in two organizations leading the fight for your and your children’s health rights.
Shriee Srinivas
Board Member
AVFC, AVFCA
Shriee has over 15 years of global and multicultural experience in working with children and their families. She has been privileged to be a part of a few leading and esteemed organizations such as VOICES, United Nations, UNESCO, London School of Speech, and many Montessori schools in Northern and Southern California. She has a plethora of global educational and professional experiences in child psychology, early childhood education, Montessori education, and work involved in non-profit organizations. She has a dual bachelors degree in communications, and psychology, an AMI primary Montessori diploma from Montessori Teachers Training Center in Northern California, leadership and mentoring training from Foothill College and Stanford University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in developmental (child) psychology, and bachelors in Christian theology.
While at the UN she traveled to many under-developed and developing countries such as South Africa, Guatemala, Burma, rural India to setup grassroots schools, radio stations for women empowerment, and worked on campaigns related to equal gender rights. As a part of a UNESCO assignment through VOICES — a non-profit organization focused on empowering under-privileged, backward, challenged, and low-income groups with equality and human rights — Shriee developed, designed and implemented a disabilities rights program in India, which was responsible for training the challenged mass of the society and passing the equal employment rights bill in India for inclusion of the disabled in corporate and government working sectors of India. Shriee helped implement a weekly radio program for the rural women of India and worked with the government of India to allocate an exclusive radio station to discuss topics of women equality, child rights, equal inclusions in work sectors, etc. She has filmed many socially relevant documentaries focusing on ‘respect for life’ as the basis of all her documentaries which were showcased at international documentary film festivals of India, Dubai, and Scotland. She worked at leading newspaper agencies which voiced equality and human rights subjects as their primary focus. For the last 10 years, Shriee has dedicated herself to the Montessori education — something her grandmother started when she had the privilege and honor of being trained by Dr. Maria Montessori in Chennai, India in 1939 — Shriee is now, the Co-Founder and CEO of Orion Montessori School in San Jose that is an AMI based Montessori school which focuses on empowering tomorrow’s leaders with plans to expand internationally by setting up an exclusive ‘Erdkinder’ (farm school) model ranging in Montessori education for ages 6 weeks to 18 years of age.
Kadhi
Board Member
AVFC
Aside from being a busy mother of two, Kadhi spends her time volunteering for causes she considers important ranging from environmental to political matters as well as social and racial justice issues. She has spent considerable time as a grassroots organizer, helping to facilitate action within her community on local and state-wide levels. Kadhi is also experienced in lobbying state legislators and other elected officials with an aim to impact state level legislation and local resolutions. She considers activism an integral part of her role as a mother as it provides a platform to advocate on her children’s behalf and, in turn, impact the world they are growing up in. Kadhi’s interest in social change was first nurtured during her time studying at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she completed her Bachelor’s degree focusing on globalism, sociology and philosophy. Aside from her activism pursuits, she is deeply passionate about health and wellness and living as naturally as possible. Kadhi has traveled the world fueled by these passions — she’s farmed her way across Japan, worked as a raw food chef in Costa Rica and studied yoga in India.
