ATrack Record of Successful Lobbying

 

 

When it comes to lobbying the State of California you want the best representing you and your interests. California Consulting, LLC has a proven track record of success. Specializing in securing funding for clients, California Consulting, LLC has a stunning record of success related to obtaining money from the State. We have the relationships to successfully lobby to obtain funds. Our success has been remarkable. A few specific examples are as follows:

 $1 BILLION FOR HIGHWAY 99

Under the leadership and with the strong efforts of our excellent San Joaquin Valley State Legislative Delegation the Valley was able to secure a $1 billion earmark in the Prop. 1B bond. We are very fortunate to have a Valley State Legislative Delegation with the likes of Senators Roy Ashburn, Dave Cogdill, Jeff Denham, and Dean Florez, as well as Assembly members Greg Aghazarian, Juan Arambula, Cathleen Galgiani, Bill Maze, Nicole Parra, Mike Villines, Alan Nakanashi, and others from the Valley who pushed hard for this funding.

The only project named by name in the $19.9 billion Proposition 1B transportation bond passed by the Legislature was a $1 billion “earmark” for Highway 99. California Consulting, LLC led the lobbying effort to obtain this earmark. Through extensive strategy, tactics, negotiations, and utilizing long-standing relationship we were able to position this project perfectly. Working closely with Legislative Leaders from both political parties, the Governor’s Office, and key opinion leaders in Sacramento, we helped secure language in the Prop. 1B bond that guaranteed the $1 billion for Highway 99. Bringing together a diverse and broad coalition of interests, California Consulting, LLC was the catalyst for this successful effort.

SALINAS VALLEY ENTERPRISE ZONE

California Consulting, LLC successfully wrote an application and lobbied for approval of the Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone. The first of its kind in the region, this complex and challenging endeavor took several months of intricate planning and strategy. The project was a joint effort of Monterey County, and the Cities of Salinas, Soledad, Gonzales, King City, and Greenfield. Working on behalf of the County as well as the 5 cities, our team skillfully crafted the application and worked for approval in Sacramento. Utilizing our relationships and contacts in Sacramento we set up meetings, held discussions and urged approval of this important application which was eventually approved. The final application was ranked by the State Housing and Community Development very high in the final analysis.

$5 MILLION FOR THE CALIFORNIA PARTNERSHIP FOR THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

The Governor created the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley through an Executive Order. This Partnership has served as an excellent source of coordination for the Valley and has resulted in many specific achievements. In 2006-2007 the funding for the Partnership was in serious jeopardy and the Joint Assembly and Senate Budget Conference Committee had “zeroed” out their funding. Our clients, the Fresno COG asked our company to intervene and help restore the funding for the partnership. Utilizing our Capitol connections, relationships, and good old fashioned hard work to put together a strategy on numerous fronts to restore this funding. One tactic was a quickly organized trip to Sacramento with several leading elected officials and community members from Stockton in the North to Kern County in the South all attending. We organized 14 meetings in one day at the Capitol and met with many Senators, Assembly members, and others to persuade them to re-instate this important funding. Within days of California Consulting, LLC getting involved, the legislature restored the full $5 million funding for the Partnership and the funding was again part of the budget ultimately signed by the Governor.

PROP. 1B AIR QUALITY MITIGATION DOLLARS FOR VALLEY

Working in concert with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Working Group (Chairman Peter Weber) our company helped lead the charge in Sacramento to secure a fair share of the air quality mitigation money from Prop. 1B. We gathered letters of support from Valley legislators stretching from Stockton to Bakersfield and rallied legislators and legislative staff to make calls, and push the Legislative leadership and Air Resources Board to recognize the San Joaquin Valley’s unique needs relative to air quality. California Consulting organized countless meetings, conference calls and strategy session at the State Capitol and in the Valley regarding this issue.

HIGHWAY 99 FEDERAL DESIGNATION SUPPORT

The Fresno Council of Governments (COG) is composed of the 15 cities in Fresno County plus the County of Fresno. The COG goal was to obtain a letter of support from the Governor of California for the possibility of turning Highway 99 into a federal interstate. Others had tried to obtain this letter for years, without success. Fresno COG retained California Consulting, LLC on a short-term 60 day only contract with the specific goal of obtaining the letter of support. Our team outlined a strategy for success, making numerous visits to Sacramento, met with key Legislative Leaders, the Governors Senior Staff, key leaders at Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, and others. Within 4 short weeks, the letter of support was sent from the Governor to federal officials in Washington D.C. Fresno COG recognized California Consulting, LLC on the achievement of obtaining this letter

COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES SUCCESS

Our clients, the cities of Coalinga and Delano suffered for more than 16 years with state contracts to run local prisons called “Community Correctional Facilities” in their cities. These CCF’s were never given a cost of living increase for any purposes and eventually functioned as state institutions subsidized by local governments. The cities were digging into their general funds to subsidize these state institutions in their communities. Despite lobbying efforts by others for many years, the state did not assist the CCF’s and the cities. California Consulting, LLC was retained by the cities and within two short years drafted, lobbied, and orchestrated a budget bill through the legislature to tie CCF increases to Department of Corrections increases. Therefore, the CCF’s received increases equivalent to whatever increases the Department of Corrections received. This budget bill resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars to both the cities of Delano and Coalinga. The budget bill was brought through the legislative process from start to finish by California Consulting. Whether it was drafting the language, meeting with the appropriate staff, convincing key Legislators and eventually obtaining the support of the Governor and the Department of Corrections, it was California Consulting, LLC that delivered for our clients.

Without the hard work, determination and leadership of Senator Dean Florez and Assemblywoman Nicole Parra this increase would not have happened. Florez and Parra went above and beyond the call of duty for their districts and the Valley Community Correctional Facilities.

STATE AND LOCAL PARTNERNSHIP PROP. 1B MONEY

The voters passed Prop. 1B in November 2006 approving $1 billion in bond money for counties for transportation needs. Since passage, California Consulting has been closely tracking the Prop. 1B State and Local Partnership program.

The money was set to be distributed by the Legislature based on a formula and guidelines. This issue became hotly debated in the State Legislature with many entities battling over the guidelines and formula that would determine how much money each county would receive. The money was intended to be an "incentive" for counties that adopted their own voter approved transportation sales taxes like Fresno County's Measure C. These counties are referred to as "self-help." The state bond money would be a dollar for dollar match to the local sales tax money.

Last year the Legislature was unable to come to agreement on this issue although at least two major bills (one in the Assembly and one in the Senate) were offered.

A budget trailer bill (AB 268) was drafted this year to set the guidelines for the distribution of the State and Local Partnership monies. Once drafted our office was alerted (by our clients the Fresno COG) to the fact that the language treated some valley counties, including Fresno County unfairly.

In a united, team effort, we worked with several entities including Fresno COG, other Valley COG's, Peter Weber, our legislative delegation and others to attempt to amend the budget trailer bill. We wanted to amend the language to allow for Fresno County to have a more fair allocation of the dollars. 95% of the State and Local Partnership monies are going to be distributed based on the formula in this budget trailer bill on a non-competitive basis. The remainder of the funds will be distributed to entities that levy uniform developer fees on a competitive basis.

Ultimately, thanks to our outstanding Fresno area state delegation (Cogdill, Florez, Villines, and Arambula) the budget trailer was amended with our language. Several meetings, e-mails, calls, conference calls, strategy meetings, and other discussions led up to this success. Utilizing our relationships and contacts in Sacramento, California Consulting, LLC played a major role in positioning this budget trailer bill amendment for inclusion.

AB 268 allows for the northern counties allocation to be based on population for counties that have transportation sales tax measures like Measure C. The return to source method would be used for the northern counties that have bridge tolls, property, or parcel taxes. So Fresno County will be in the population allocation like we wanted.

Through the work of these 4 legislators Fresno County stands to gain another $7-$8 million in transportation dollars from the SLPP program. Our original estimate of funds to Fresno County was about $15 million and is now around $23 million. Keep in mind these are estimates based on the formula allocation.

The above is a real and tangible example of California Consulting's work in the 2007-08 budget.

SB 974 VETO SUCCESS

Our clients the Fresno Council of Governments (all 15 cities in Fresno County plus the County of Fresno) gave our company their #1 priority in 2008 to either amend or stop the Port Container Fee bill SB 974. The bill called for fees at the ports but did not provide for any funding for the San Joaquin Valley which is where the containers eventually would come through on our highways, polluting our cities and counties. We asked for funding to mitigate this air pollution issue and pointed out that the San Joaquin Valley has been designated with some of the worst air in the nation. The amendments we proposed were not adopted and our clients asked us to strongly advocate for a veto of SB 974.

Working in conjunction with our fantastic Valley state legislative delegation, we lobbied the Governor's Office, the Air Resources Board, Cal-EPA, and other key groups making them aware of the San Joaquin Valley's concerns about SB 974. We worked on the SB 974 issue for close to one year, held dozens of meetings, conference calls, and strategy sessions with our clients as well as with legislators and staff at he Capitol.

Ultimately, SB 974 was vetoed by the Governor and he specifically mentions the San Joaquin Valley two times as part of the reason for his veto in his veto message.