Moulton Niguel Water District
Customer-Friendly Outreach Leads to Successful Rate Hearing
The thought of raising rates sends chills down most water district directors and staff. Rather than risk a room full of angry customers, Moulton Niguel Water District broke from the norm and prepared a customer-friendly Prop. 218 notice – complete with clear explanations and easy-to-read graphs – instead of the typical legalese-type document often used by public agencies during this process. Coupled with media relations and informative Web site content, this open and proactive program helped the District sail through the process with only a handful of customers at the hearing – most of whom spoke in support.
Coalition for Habitat Conservation
Protecting Birds and Homebuilders
LP&A led a coalition of business, transportation, utility and agriculture groups that successfully lobbied to have the California gnatcatcher listed as “threatened” instead of “endangered,” a change that made it possible to protect the bird and develop thousands of homes and a toll road that otherwise would have been stopped.
Shea Homes Parkside Estates
A Hard-Fought Coastal Commission Win
LP&A mobilized local support and guided Shea’s communications with the Huntington Beach City Council and the California Coastal Commission, overcoming negative staff recommendations and vocal, well-organized opposition. Upon Coastal Commission approval, Parkside Estates’ chief opponent told a reporter, “We lost a lot. We're profoundly unhappy.”
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
CPA Reservoir and Pipeline Project
LP&A managed an outreach campaign for Met’s plans to build a new Inland Empire treatment plant and a pipeline between Riverside and Orange counties, under Saddleback Mountain. We produced supporting collateral material and organized community information meetings. As a result of our outreach, a new, superior routing alternative was identified and the Met board certified the revised EIR.
Shapell Industries/S&S Homes
Grassroots Referendum Defeat
LP&A defeated a referendum of a previously approved residential development by highlighting the community’s inclusion of a much-desired local high school and creating a powerful grassroots movement that fought off the opposition’s efforts.
Time Warner Communications
Defeat of Hawthorne Utility Tax
Time Warner Communications opposed a 10 percent utilities tax increase and brought LP&A in to defeat the measure in the final weeks before election day. Our highly targeted campaign showed a viable alternative to the tax and successfully turned out so many voters that the measure – expected to win – was defeated by a margin of nearly 60/40.
Coalition of Yorba Linda Leaders
Measure J – No Laughing Matter
When a NIMBY group placed Measure J on the Yorba Linda ballot in hopes of halting the conversion of Imperial Highway to a congestion-relieving “super street,” LP&A worked closely with two city council members to defeat the initiative using the theme “J” is for Joke. Our theme, strategy and tools, including direct mail, voter outreach, ads and speeches, led to a convincing 26-point defeat of the harmful measure.
The Irvine Company
Winning Unanimous City Council Approval of Turtle Ridge
By effectively communicating Turtle Ridge’s benefits and identifying supporters, LP&A helped turn an outspoken opposition group into vocal supporters, leading to quick City Council approval – even though the Planning Commission denied the project after a contentious public hearing.
Help me win a controversial issue.
When your issue comes down to a vote of the people or an action by a regulatory board, or you simply need perceptions changed and outcomes influenced, we have unique and finely tuned skills that can help achieve your strategic objectives.
Our record as of today is 53-2. We’d like to turn your controversial issue into our next win.
- We’ve created grassroots efforts to bring about regulatory changes at the federal, state and local level.
- We’ve helped land developers win approvals for 400,000 residential units and 260 million square feet of office and industrial space.
- We’ve kept ballot initiatives from qualifying for the ballot, and defeated them when they do.
- We’ve built consensus around and won approval for critical infrastructure projects.
- “I truly believe LP&A has been the best addition to our team! Your brilliance, keen awareness of environmental matters, writing skills, though-provoking strategy contributions, impressive PR material and the stomach to deal with the media has made our team go from good to GREAT.”
— Ron Metzler, Shea Homes - “Your campaign was well conceived, well executed and instrumental to our success. You did a great job of reading the community and our leadership was pleased the efforts came in under budget.”
–Lyle Overby, Shapell Industries - “You guys [LP&A] are one of the most valuable team members I’ve worked with in my 10 years of entitlement communications experience.”
–Jay Reed, DMB Redwood City, Saltworks, LLC - “Laer Pearce is one of the best PR guys in the Golden State.”
— Hugh Hewitt, national syndicated radio host, author and blogger - “We appreciate your sage counsel and perspective. We appreciate the help from you and your team. You folks do a great job for the SMWD ratepayers.”
— John Schatz, Santa Margarita Water District - “It’s so much easier taking punches when you’ve got great people in your corner coaching, supporting and rooting for your success. Your experience, dedication and support to during this trying time were invaluable.”
–General Manager of an Orange County public agency - “We’re all quite pleased with how the media coverage of our environmental studies turned out. Your craftsmanship has proved quite fruitful and I wanted to say ‘Thank You!’”
— Mark Subbotin, Newhall Land - “You have truly done some amazing work. I am quite impressed.”
— Jana Kettering, Kennecott Land - “I’ve been a CVWD customer since 2003 and I would like to comment on how much I enjoy reading your Pipelines newsletter. I find it very interesting and just the right size. Keep up the good work.”
— Cucamonga Valley Water District customer. - “Laer Pearce has one of the best strategic minds in Orange County public affairs and public relations – and besides getting the message just right, he makes the process of getting to victory enjoyable for everyone on the team.”
— Lucy Dunn, President and CEO, Orange County Business Council - “LP&A was instrumental in helping us design and execute a strategic communications campaign that resulted in overwhelming local support and the unanimous approval of Tejon Mountain Village.”
—Dave Crowder, Director of Government & Community Relations, Tejon Mountain Village - “Laer’s most important asset is a rare personal characteristic: wisdom. I have been in many team meetings with Laer, and witnessed his ability to see and communicate the best course of action.” ”
—John Kain, President, Urban Crossroads - “I found Laer to be a sharp strategist with a creative mind who champions staying on message, on strategy and within budget.”
— Andrew Daymude, Tejon Ranch Company - “I greatly appreciate Laer’s creative, and often cost efficient, approach to communicating complex issues in a meaningful yet simple manner.”
—Marlee Lauffer, Vice President, Newhall Land - “Thank you again for your insights and guidance. I truly a cannot thank you enough. You are stellar in every way!”
—Christina Noonan, Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power Commissioner - “A public health plan like CalOptima has to communicate with its members, providers and relevant stakeholders quickly, accurately and in easily understood language. Laer Pearce understands that mandate and has been helping us deliver on it for several years now. He and his team have been an invaluable resource to CalOptima.”
—Margaret Tatar, Executive Director of Public Affairs, CalOptima
