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APPROVE FEDERAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CONTRACTS
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that by motion action the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract with David Turch and Associates in the amount of $72,000 and with Emanuels Jones & Associates in the amount of $87,000 to provide advocacy services and represent the City of Stockton before the United States Government and the State of California respectively.
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Summary
Maintaining a strong presence in both Washington, D.C. and Sacramento is important to the City of Stockton to ensure that we receive funding, advance beneficial legislation and prevent harmful legislation or rulemaking. This is most effectively done through the use of consulting services to represent the City of Stockton in carrying out its Legislative Program and advocating its public policy positions, concerns, needs, and recommendations at the federal and state level.
Both the federal and state legislative advocacy contracts expire at the end of the 2016 calendar year. City staff issued a Request of Qualifications (RFQ) and conducted a competitive review and interview process with the responsive advocacy firms. The RFQ process is complete and staff recommend that David Turch and Associates and Emanuels Jones and Associates represent the City in our legislative efforts.
DISCUSSION
Background
The City has contracted with a federal legislative advocacy firm for more than 15 years. Some examples of the benefits provided by our federal advocates include significant infrastructure and public safety funding, reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program saving homeowners millions of dollars, and forestalling of damaging stormwater and floodplain regulations. The City contracted for state legislative advocacy for the first time in 2012. This contract allowed the City to strengthen its presence in Sacramento for the first time in many years. Examples of the benefits provided by our state advocates include successful public safety and sustainable development grant awards, legislative fixes for problematic floodplain requirements, and facilitation of legislative and regulatory adjustments to ease the dissolution of the Redevelopment Authority.
Also in 2012, the City of Stockton adopted its first formal State and Federal Legislative Programs. Prior to 2012, the City of Stockton had not adopted formal legislative programs and as a result the City’s legislative priorities and the impacts of legislation on the City were not entirely clear to our legislative delegations. Over the past 5 years, the Legislative Programs have provided a unified focus and served as documents that establish the principles, priorities and positions of the City of Stockton related to state and federal legislative matters. The result is that the services provided by our legislative advocates have been more focused and our efforts in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. have been more impactful. Having legislative advocates that pursue and defend our Legislative Programs has allowed the City to act strategically and timely.
Overall, the City’s legislative efforts have improved over the past five years. However, these efforts took place during the bankruptcy and restructuring of the City. Out of necessity, legislative advocacy was not always the highest priority of the City. In coming years, the City is better positioned to allocate time and resources to further enhance legislative advocacy efforts and leverage the multitude of tremendous accomplishments that have recently taken place for the City of Stockton.
Present Situation
The City of Stockton entered into federal and state legislative advocacy contracts in 2012. These contracts had terms of three years with two one-year extensions. The full term of the contracts, including extensions will be complete at the end of the 2016 calendar year. City staff issued a Request of Qualifications (RFQ) and conducted a competitive review and selection process with the responsive advocacy firms. The RFQ process is complete and staff recommend that David Turch and Associates and Emanuels Jones and Associates represent the City in our legislative efforts.
The federal legislative advocacy firm selected is David Turch and Associates. David Turch and Associates proposed a compelling and proactive approach to legislative advocacy with the federal government. David Turch has more than 30 years of experience advocating at the federal level and has a seasoned and savvy staff. David is very well known and respected in Washington, D.C. and demonstrated a particularly effective track record for accomplishing wins for his clients. David’s clients also provided first hand examples of successes and positive feedback related to the style, approach and support of David and his team. Pursuing this contract is an opportunity to approach federal advocacy from a different, more proactive approach.
The state legislative advocacy firm selected is Emanuels Jones and Associates. Emanuels Jones and Associates represented the City well over the past five years and demonstrated their exceptional qualifications. David Jones, President of the firm, will be continue to be the lead advocate for the City of Stockton and has more than 30 years of experience advocating at the State and Federal level. The support staff to David also have extensive experience. The firm is well known and respected in Sacramento and has positive working relationships with the League of California Cities and other key partners. The firm has strong connections with legislators from both political parties and executive agency staff as a non-partisan agency. Their experience and knowledge of local government, municipal law and municipal finance as well as their collaborative and persistent approach make them best suited to represent Stockton.
The scope of work for both federal and state contracts includes advising the City in the development of the annual Legislative Program and then executing that program (Attachments A and B). Our advocates will monitor and review legislation and executive protocols under consideration, maintain an overview of legislative and executive agency activities, provide regular reports on key issues and prepare letters of support and opposition. Our advocates will represent the City in Washington and Sacramento, maintain a positive working relationship with the City’s delegations and facilitate communication with legislative, executive and other governmental officials for the purpose of influencing legislation or administrative action. Our advocates will also coordinate and execute the City's federal and state funding strategy by identifying funding opportunities, advising the City in the preparation of appropriations and grant requests and facilitating meetings with legislative committees and granting agencies.
The term for both federal and state advocacy agreements is a three-year period, renewing annually after the first and second year, with two additional one-year extensions at the discretion of the City. The federal advocacy contract has been established at an annual retainer of $72,000. This represents a savings from the $84,000 that has been expended in recent years for federal advocacy services. The state advocacy contract has been established at an annual retainer of $87,000. This represents a modest increase from the $84,000 that has been expended in recent years for state advocacy services. The costs for state advocacy services have remained the same for the past three years, and given the level of service delivered for a large City in the State of California, this modest increase was anticipated in the proposals from potential vendors. The annual retainer for future years of each contract is negotiable, with limits established on the amount that the contract can be adjusted in any given year.
Continued legislative advocacy is particularly important given the changing landscape of both federal and state governments. In addition, there are critical initiatives of the City Council that will require legislative advocacy efforts including flood plain reauthorization, execution of the economic development strategic plan, advocacy with the Environmental Protection Agency, advocacy with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and critical infrastructure project funding. The experience and expertise provided by David Turch and Associates and Emanuels Jones will allow the City of Stockton to create an even stronger presence in Washington and Sacramento and pursue the critical initiatives of the City. They will provide the City of Stockton with timely information, solid political networks, knowledge of key agency programs and staff and familiarity with current issues. They will also provide inroads to funding opportunities and an understanding of how projects and programs are most likely to be funded.
It is also worth noting that given the legislative advocate selection process taking place in 2016, City staff determined that it would be appropriate to conclude selections prior to finalizing the 2017 Legislative Programs to allow the selected advocates an opportunity to contribute to the planning process. As such, the 2017 Legislative Programs will be presented for Council approval in early 2017.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Sufficient funds for the initial six months of these calendar year contracts are included in the Non-Departmental budget for Fiscal Year 2016-17. Consistent with past practice, additional funds for successive years of the contract will be allocated in proposed budgets in future years.
Attachment A - David Turch and Associates Professional Services Agreement
Attachment B - Emanuels Jones and Associates Professional Services Agreement