Lobbyist

Josh Kleinbaum Emanuels, Jones and Associates might learn that there is some truth to the old saying about first impressions -- they are pretty darn important. In 2002, Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian met with representatives from the firm, which is the city's lobbyist in Sacramento, when the city and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy were negotiating a $25.25-million deal to purchase 238 acres of hillside land from a developer, preserving the land as open space.

CITY HALL — The City Council today is scheduled to consider securing long-term representation in Washington, D.C., months after putting their former federal lobbyist on a temporary contract to explore alternatives. Now, city officials say the alternative wasn’t so attractive, hence the recommendation to re-sign with David Turch and Associates, which would charge Glendale a $78,000 annual retainer fee. The main competition was the Ferguson Group, which represents a large number of Southland cities, but that proposed a $124,200 annual fee. Glendale was without federal lobbying services June 30 through August after the council rejected a one-year, $88,000 renewal with Turch.

Josh Kleinbaum Two years after signing on with a hired gun in Washington, D.C., the city of Glendale is beginning to see the benefits. As Congress wraps up its 2004 session, Glendale's federal lobbyist, David Turch and Associates, has its first signs of success -- $500,000 for the city's new regional radio network and an expected $2 million for two transportation issues in 2005. "There's no question it has paid off," City Manager Jim Starbird said.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- The Burbank City Council plans to announce tonight that it will pay a lobbyist consultant firm $10,000 per month to monitor federal legislation regarding airport policies. The City Council hired Copeland, Lowery & Jacquez, a Washington, D.C. lobbyist consultant firm, on July 16. The decision to employ the firm came as the council began to fear federal legislation might usurp local control of airports. "For us, it's scary that, all of a sudden, Uncle Sam can come in here and ram something down our throats.

Josh Kleinbaum After a search for the best lobbyist to represent Glendale in Sacramento, the city determined that it already had the right man. The Glendale City Council is expected to renew its contract with Emanuels, Jones and Associates at its 6 p.m. meeting today. If they do, David Jones, the firm's owner, will continue to represent the city's interests in the state capital. "We believe they've represented us well," City Manager Jim Starbird said.

Council asks city to advertise for new state lobbyist, but may still go with current company. CITY HALL -- Glendale will seek new candidates for the city's state lobbying job, but hasn't knocked current lobbyist Emanuels Jones Associates out of the running just yet. The City Council decided to advertise for bids for state legislative advocacy services Tuesday night, excluding Emanuels Jones from the process despite an internal city staff review...

Ryan Carter Legislators for the area are doing a decent job maintaining local interests in Sacramento during the budget crisis, local lobbyists say. But the praise is tempered with concerns of looming tax increases and other revenue cuts. "What we are hearing [from local legislators] is this idea of 'sharing the pain,' that everybody is going to have to share the burden," Glendale lobbyist David A. Jones said. "But what that translates into, we don't know."

CITY HALL — Apparently convinced that a better deal might be found elsewhere, the City Council on Tuesday voted narrowly to explore hiring a new federal lobbyist after some members on the dais said they wanted to explore other options. The City Council voted 3 to 2 to solicit bids for federal lobbying services after denying a recommendation from city managers to renew the city’s one-year, $88,000 contract with David Turch and Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that has petitioned the federal government on the city’s behalf since 2003.

Janine Marnien With the availability of state grants uncertain in light of looming state budget cuts, the La Canada Flintridge City Council is considering going to a higher power to help secure funds for capital improvement and other projects. The council is thinking about hiring legislative lobbying firm David Turch & Associates to represent its interests at the federal level. Other cities, including Monrovia and Glendale, employ such firms, and La Canada Flintridge could benefit from their services, Mayor Dave Spence said.

CUTS ON THE HORIZON The Glendale Community College Board of Trustees got a bleak forecast of upcoming budget cuts from its Sacramento lobbyist, who warned that drastic reductions to college services are looming. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a set of solutions for the state?s continuing budget crisis, which included a ?disproportionate? cut to community colleges, lobbyist Patrick McCallum said. The severity of the cuts will depend on how lawmakers react to the outcome of Tuesday?

I'm writing to commend reader Amiee Klem for her Nov. 11 letter, “Laughing all the way to the bank.” I felt that her submission went right to the heart of the issues. Throughout the years of the Bush administration, I kept wondering what it was going to take to pry people out from in front of their televisions to get them into the streets. Now that the effects of those disastrous policies are coming home to roost (and make no mistake, we cannot exempt any president since 1980 from some share of responsibility for these problems)

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday voted narrowly to pursue a contract with a new federal lobbyist after Councilman John Drayman this week railed against what he characterized as a stacked process to rehire the city’s previous firm. The council voted 3 to 2 to negotiate a one-year contract with Washington D.C.-based the Ferguson Group, after rejecting a proposed $78,000 one-year contract with David Turch & Associates, the firm that has represented the city since 2003.

CITY HALL — The City Council today is scheduled to consider securing long-term representation in Washington, D.C., months after putting their former federal lobbyist on a temporary contract to explore alternatives. Now, city officials say the alternative wasn’t so attractive, hence the recommendation to re-sign with David Turch and Associates, which would charge Glendale a $78,000 annual retainer fee. The main competition was the Ferguson Group, which represents a large number of Southland cities, but that proposed a $124,200 annual fee. Glendale was without federal lobbying services June 30 through August after the council rejected a one-year, $88,000 renewal with Turch.

CITY HALL — City officials have moved to a month-by-month contract with its state lobbyist in order to “reassess” how the firm fits in with the ever-changing needs of Glendale Water & Power. With state legislation coming down the pike that could greatly affect how the city’s utility does business, city officials said now is the time to evaluate whether Townsend Public Affairs is the best firm for the job. The city’s annual $64,000 contract with Townsend expired Aug. 31, but city officials held off on recommending the firm for another term to allow time for the evaluation.

CITY HALL — After two months without a federal lobbyist, the City Council is expected to approve a temporary contract with its former lobbying firm until the bidding process for a new one is completed. The council will review a contract with Washington, D.C.-based David Turch and Associates from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30, when city officials expect the new bidding process to be finished. The city has gone without federal lobbying services since June 30, when the council voted 3 to 2 against a one-year, $88,000 renewal with Turch, instead deciding to explore other possibilities.

CITY HALL — Congressional lawmakers may be in the process of doling out millions in federal funds, but without a lobbyist for more than a month now, Glendale may lose out in the annual round of appropriations, some city officials say. Congress, which is currently on August recess and is set to return to session in September, spent much of July working on federal appropriation bills in an attempt to meet a Sept. 30 deadline. But so far, the city lacks a federal lobbyist after the City Council voted 3 to 2 June 30 to pass on a one-year, $88,000 renewal with Washington D.C.-based David Turch and Associates to, according to Mayor Frank Quintero, “see what else is out there.

CITY HALL — Apparently convinced that a better deal might be found elsewhere, the City Council on Tuesday voted narrowly to explore hiring a new federal lobbyist after some members on the dais said they wanted to explore other options. The City Council voted 3 to 2 to solicit bids for federal lobbying services after denying a recommendation from city managers to renew the city’s one-year, $88,000 contract with David Turch and Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that has petitioned the federal government on the city’s behalf since 2003.

Lobbyist Nat Read paints quite a rosy picture of the proposed 710 tunnel (“710 tunnel would benefit Glendale,” June 5), which will supposedly reduce congestion, pollution and accidents regionally, according to an 11-year-old study. Read, however, neglects to mention a number of pertinent facts that may be of interest to taxpayers and voters concerned about this project. The purpose of the tunnel is to maximize the capacity of an important regional goods-movement corridor by creating a direct path for heavy-duty diesel trucks from the Port of Los Angeles to the 210 Freeway.