In 1912, Edson was elected into the Council of the National Municipal League, where she worked alongside Meyer Lissner. Lissner served as Edson's political mentor and appointed her to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1912. Despite having to focus on the issue of public education, Edson decided to spend more of her time focusing on women's health and working conditions. She helped draft the Federation's first legislative platform and then in the year 1913 she joined the Women's Legislative Council of California. Edson and about a dozen other women urged legislators and federated clubs to discuss and support measures such as the minimum wage for women.