State Government Relations and Legislative Advocacy Services

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The City of West Sacramento is soliciting proposals from qualified firms or individuals ("Proposer") to provide state government relations and advocacy services. More details on the City's needs for this work are provided in the Scope of Work .

Each qualified Proposer is to submit a proposal in conformity with the terms of this Request for Proposal ("RFP") by the deadline below ("Proposal"). The Proposer selected by the City pursuant to the terms of this RFP and the City's contracting procedures, if any is selected, is referred to herein as "Contractor."

SYNONYMOUS TERMS

Unless the use indicates otherwise, as used throughout this bid and its attachments, the following terms are synonymous:

a. Firm, Consultant, Supplier, Vendor, Contractor, Successful Bidder, Offeror

b. Purchase Order, Contract, Agreement

c. Services, Work, Scope, and Project

d. Pricing proposal/sheet, Cost proposal/sheet, Rate table/sheet

West Sacramento is a vibrant riverfront community centrally located in Northern California. West Sacramento shares the Sacramento River with neighboring Sacramento, with the deep water ship canal serving the Port of West Sacramento. Incorporated in 1987, West Sacramento encompasses approximately 22 square miles, with a population of just over 55,000. West Sacramento has a Council/Manager form of government. Citizens elect four City Council Members by district who serve four-year terms and directly elect the mayor who also serves a four-year term. The City is full-service with nine (9) departments and over 400 full-time employees. The City provides the full range of municipal services including police and fire protection, park, street, fleet, and facility maintenance, economic development and housing, community development, capital projects, and parks and recreation. The City also provides water, wastewater, and solid waste services. In addition, the City maintains port, water, wastewater, and solid waste enterprise funds. Other activities and related entities include the Port of West Sacramento and the West Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.

The City interacts with numerous state government agencies and the Legislature during its regular course of business. As such, the City is interested in contracting with a highly qualified firm that can engage decision-makers on legislative and other administrative/policy actions to advance the City's interests. The City seeks the services of a government relations and legislative advocacy firm that can serve as the conduit for communication with elected officials and other agencies under the direction of the City’s Deputy City Manager. The City has carefully managed its government relations and advocacy efforts over the years to earn a reputation for prudent, thoughtful, and effective interactions with the state government and will be seeking a firm that understands how to maintain and build upon that reputation.

Among many legislative priorities, the City has been a leader in flood control law, sponsoring SB 901 (Pan) in 2022 and co-sponsoring SB 586 (Eggman) in 2024. The City also has deep expertise in sales tax law, including sponsoring SB 533 (Pan) in 2015 to close a loophole that allowed sales tax revenue from commercial activity in one jurisdiction to be booked in another. The City has also been at the forefront of Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) law and other economic development, infrastructure, and housing legislation. The City is seeking a firm with deep expertise on these issues and others that affect local governments to continue the City's track record of success.