We measure alignment, not magic.

The core rule: positions vs. outcomes

Every track record and scorecard on SiLobbyist is built from two separately-sourced facts:

1. The position — what the group or lobbyist publicly advocated: a support/oppose position letter, committee testimony, a committee analysis support/oppose list, or a public statement. Each position carries its source.
2. The outcome — what officially happened to the bill: chaptered, vetoed, died in committee, etc., from leginfo's official bill status, with chapter numbers and vote counts as receipts.

We then record whether the two aligned: support + chaptered, or oppose + died, is "position aligned with outcome." Support + died, or oppose + chaptered, is "not aligned." That's it. That's the whole measurement.

What we never claim

• Causation. A group's position aligning with an outcome does not mean the group caused it. Dozens of actors touch every bill. We say "aligned," never "won because of."
• Completeness. We only score positions that are on the public record. The most important lobbying happens privately and is unmeasurable — our numbers describe the visible game, and we say so wherever they appear.
• Private relationships. Our relationship maps show engagement footprints — bills, testimony, letters — not private meetings. If we can't source it, we don't draw the edge.
• Black-box scores. Every win rate is shown as raw numbers ("7 of 10 public positions aligned with outcomes") with the methodology footnote attached. No proprietary 0–100 scores, ever.

Source hierarchy

Tier	Sources	Used for
1 · Official	leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, Cal-Access, FPPC filings & enforcement releases, OAL	Bill outcomes, vote counts, registrations, filings, fines
2 · Public advocacy record	Position letters, committee analyses (support/oppose lists), hearing testimony, press releases	Positions taken
3 · Reputable reporting	Capitol news outlets, on-the-record quotes	Context, revolving-door moves — labeled as reported
4 · Self-reported	Group mission statements, claimed lobbyist bios	Always badged "self-reported — unverified"

Corrections

Found an error? Every dossier, scorecard, and profile is built to be corrected — sources are cited per data point so mistakes are checkable. Contact us and we'll verify against the official record and fix or annotate within one business day.