That the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a two-year professional services agreement with Townsend Public Affairs, Inc. (TPA) to conduct legislative advocacy and grant writing services for the City.

On April 21, 2025, the City Council adopted the City’s Goals and Objectives for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026.  Several of the Goals and Objectives emphasize the identification and pursuit of grant funding to augment or replace local funds for municipal purposes, such as the completion of projects listed on the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP). 

These City Council adopted goals include the following:

Because large-scale CIP projects often require significant funding and occur over multiple fiscal years, it can be challenging for the City to achieve Council adopted Goals and Objectives without significant grant funding assistance from federal and state agencies. The opportunity for the City to successfully identify and secure grant funding for major projects can be significantly increased when the City retains specialized consulting support from firms that have direct experience in legislative advocacy and grant writing.

Recognizing this need, the City entered into a one-year agreement with Townsend Public Affairs (TPA) in 2021 to provide the City with legislative advocacy support and grant writing services for Fiscal Year 21/22, and then extended that agreement for an additional one year, to cover Fiscal Year 22/23.

At its meeting of June 19, 2023, the City Council approved a two-year agreement between the City and TPA for State and Federal legislative advocacy and grant writing services for the period July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025, for a total of $60,000 per year, or $5,000 per month. 

Since its inception in 1998, TPA has built a reputation as a leader in the field of legislative advocacy and grant writing, helping clients to leverage their financial resources as well as build a network of relationships with key stakeholders, policy-makers, and legislators.  TPA has spearheaded more than 150 legislative and regulatory proposals into law, and secured more than $3.2 billion in grants for its clients from federal, state, and other local government agencies, as well as from nonprofit foundations and private companies, in a variety of policy sectors, including transportation, water/sanitation, housing and community development, recreation/natural resources, cultural/historical resources, and public safety. 

Since contracting with TPA in July 2021, the City has realized significant value from their support of City priorities. Successes have included the City of La Habra being allocated $8.5 million in state funding to assist with storm channel repairs, a $320,000 grant from the Department of Transportation in 2023 for the City's Safe Routes to Schools Plan, a State budget earmark for $2 million for Vin Scully Centennial Park (former Vista Grande Park), and a Federal earmark for $500,000 for Vin Scully Centennial Park (former Vista Grande Park), totaling more than $11 million in funding awarded to the City since the contract began. 

In addition, TPA recently worked on a number of additional State and Federal earmark funding requests for the City, including:

Working alongside staff, TPA submitted the State and Federal earmark requests to Senator Thomas Umberg and Congressional representative Linda Sanchez.  Congresswoman Sanchez has selected the Foothill Zone Consolidation Project to move forward in this year’s round of Community Project Funding in the amount of $5 million to fund the initial phases of the project.

TPA has also proven to be a valuable resource to staff, providing regular updates and real-time information on matters of legislative interest in both Sacramento and Washington DC, with direct access to elected officials and senior appointed staff in state, federal, and local governments.

Based on TPA's success in securing funding for the City to date, in addition to the effective legislative support that the City has been receiving, staff recommends that the City Council approve a new two-year agreement (Attachment 1) with TPA to continue legislative advocacy and grant funding services. If approved, the new agreement will cover the period July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027, for an amount not to exceed $66,000 per year, or $5,500 per month.

TPA's standard annual fee for services for municipal clients is $78,000. However, staff was able to negotiate that fee to $66,000 per year, and was able to secure that same fee level for each year in the proposed agreement. The General Fund budget for FY 25/26 has sufficient funding allocated to pay for this agreement. 

Goal 3 – Maintenance and Improvement of City Infrastructure, Objective G: Identify and pursue funding opportunities to design and construct recreational trails as part of the OC Loop Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail System