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Proposal to Provide Public Information

Campaign and Strategy Services to

Hartnell College

For Another Successful Partnership with the

Lew Edwards Group!

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1. Consultant Contact Information/Cover Letter

March 31, 2016

Mr. Marty Parsons

Vice President of Administrative Services, Hartnell College

411 Central Avenue, Building E, Room 107

Salinas, CA 93901

Thank you for your recent invitation to submit this proposal to serve Hartnell College’s 2016 bond

planning needs. A partnership with The Lew Edwards Group (LEG) offers the College the following:

A firm in its 19th year that has passed more than $33 Billion in California education bonds and

tax measures with a 95% success rate-- including Hartnell College’s 2002 Measure H, raising

$131 Million for the College;

A firm that won all bonds taken to ballot for community colleges in 2014: Compton CCD,

Contra Costa County CCD, Mt. San Jacinto CCD, North Orange County CCD, and Cuesta

College – LEG had 47 campaign wins in 2014, a very high bar by any standard;

A firm that is considered the “go-to” California leader in successful community college district

bonds—LEG is currently representing Butte-Glenn, Cabrillo, Kern, Long Beach, Pasadena

Area, and San Jose Evergreen CCDs in their 2016 bond planning needs; and

Nationally-recognized, award-winning mail which has been recognized on several occasions

in the Pollie Awards, and highly experienced experts who hail from Salinas, attended classes

at your College, and reflect the diversity of your District and California.

As a valued past client of LEG, I would welcome building on our collective Measure H success to

help the District prepare for another successful bond. Please note firm contact information below.

Warmly,

Catherine Lew, Esq., President/CEO

The Lew Edwards Group

5454 Broadway, Oakland 94618 510-594-0224 x 216

Catherine@lewedwardsgroup.com

Executive Assistant: Bettye@lewedwardsgroup.com

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2. FIRM OVERVIEW

Established on July 1st 1997, The Lew Edwards Group (LEG), a California corporation, is one of the

most successful bond consultants in California, offering unsurpassed experience in representing

community college districts on their bond preparation, communications and outreach needs. The

firm was established by co-owners CEO Catherine Lew and Secretary-Treasurer Lloyd A. Edwards.

LEG is a ten-member firm.

LEG has successfully enacted more than $33 Billion in California bond and revenue measures with a 95%

success rate, including tough measures requiring a two-thirds threshold for passage. More than two-

thirds of LEG’s practice is specifically within the arena of helping public agencies and college districts

effectively plan for, then win bond and tax measures. It is not unusual for LEG to experience 100%

success rates during some of our election cycles.

LEG’s team is composed of a deep bench of experts who have been with the firm for years, over

many election cycles. LEG is very proud of its excellent staff and firm capabilities. LEG experts are

outstanding professionals with decades of award-winning experience in disciplines such as

communications, direct mail, media relations, community relations, government affairs, coalition

building, and education campaigns. LEG’s direct mail products have been recognized in the

prestigious national Pollie and Golden Paragon awards on multiple occasions for excellence and

innovation.

LEG’s client-empowered, team-building approach is well suited to a shared governance model and

the tradition of academic freedom and debate which we find in our CCDs. LEG executives work

enthusiastically and effectively to build consensus on an effective bond preparation plan that reflects

the diverse perspectives of all College leaders and stakeholders, including the Executive Cabinet,

Faculty/Staff, students, community and Foundation partners and Labor stakeholders. Our team can

also engage with your Board as desired and helpful, at the direction and request of the President’s

Office.

LEG’s extensive track record of community college work has put our organization in tune with all

types of issues faced in our unique districts, including common challenges and difficulties that can

affect the best laid plans. Socratic debate, academic freedom, and a range of issues have frequently

popped up as internal campus issues, even following placement of a measure on the ballot and in

situations where the external voting community is overwhelmingly supportive. LEG’s extensive

experience and expertise on these issues provides invaluable support and navigation so issues do not

become unduly distracting for the District’s planning.

LEG and Hartnell College’s Winning Measure H Collaboration

Some of the many successful Measure H strategies LEG implemented effectively in 2002 with the

Hartnell College team include the following:

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Winning Measure H with 65.7% of the vote, consistent with baseline polling

Implementing a highly engaged, interactive District community information campaign where

hundreds of constituents provided feedback on Hartnell College needs

Engagement of an Bond Advisory Roundtable composed of external Community Influentials

from throughout the diverse communities in your geographically large district to ensure

additional buy in on the Hartnell vision prior to placement of the measure on the ballot

Strong collaboration with the District on two legally-permissible informational mailings,

establishing a solid informational framework prior to the advocacy campaign

Strategic input and collaboration with the District’s Bond Counsel on the Bond Resolution,

Bond Priority List, Ballot Question and other voter materials to ensure they were easily

understandable to diverse voter and stakeholder audiences

Highly effective communications to all of the District’s diverse audiences, including bilingual

materials to the Latino community

Examples of the work that we did together on Measure H and LEG’s other award-winning marketing

and communications products are contained in the brochure accompanying this Proposal. Clearly,

LEG’s institutional knowledge of your District and 2002 experience means our firm can quickly and

seamlessly transition in to your planning during a truncated planning period, as our other CCDs

initiated efforts last calendar year. LEG has extensive files of past research, demographics, and other

data from 2002 which will allow our experts to hit the ground running.

Successful Elections within the greater Monterey County and Surrounding Region

Besides Measure H, LEG has quarterbacked the following successful elections within the greater

region:

Salinas Union High School District YES on F, SUCCESSFUL $52 Million bond

Spreckels Union School District YES on B, SUCCESSFUL $7 Million bond

Pajaro Valley Unified School District YES on J, SUCCESSFUL $58.25 Million bond

Santa Cruz County YES on R, SUCCESSFUL 2/3s requirement library tax

Gavilan Community College District YES on G, SUCCESSFUL $108 Million bond

City of Seaside’s Measure R, SUCCESSFUL tax raising more than $3 Million annually

City of Seaside’s Measure E, SUCCESSFUL defeat of attempted citizen tax repeal

City of Santa Cruz’s No on P, SUCCESSFUL defeat of attempted citizen tax repeal

LEG offers a client-empowered, team-building approach. More background information about LEG

can be viewed at www.lewedwardsgroup.com.

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3. PREVIOUS PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN PROJECTS

LEG enjoys an excellent relationship with the top pollsters in California and has utilized polling for

all of its successful bonds. LEG is collaborating with your pollster, Isom Advisors in other districts.

California Community College Track Record

Besides Hartnell College’s November 2002 Measure H which passed with 65.7%--raising $131

Million--the following are some of other community college districts represented by LEG.

Coast Community College District ENACTED $1.068 Billion – 2 bonds

Measure M, November 2002 $370 Million 65.2%

Measure M, November 2012 $698 Billion 55.9%

North Orange County Community College District ENACTED $574 Million 11/14 55.01%

Contra Costa County Community College District ENACTED $540 Million 6/14 57.58%

Ohlone Community College District ENACTED $499 Million – 2 bonds

Measure A, March 2002 $150 Million 56.2%

Measure G, November 2010 $349 Million 62.98%

El Camino Community College District ENACTED $745.5 Million – 2 bonds

Measure E, November 2002 $395.5 Million 61.60%

Measure E, November 2012 $350 Million 68.26%

Southwestern Community College District ENACTED $389 Million 11/08 71.41%

Mt. SAC Community College District ENACTED $353 Million 11/08 69.9%

Ventura County Community College District ENACTED $356.3 Million 11/02 65.6%

West Valley – Mission Community College District ENACTED $350 Million 6/12 59.84%

Solano County Community College District ENACTED $348 Million 11/12 63.49%

Victor Valley Community College District ENACTED $297.5 Million 11/08 61.5%

Mt. San Jacinto Community College District ENACTED $295 Million 11/14 58.82%

Cuesta College ENACTED $275 Million 11/14 62.55%

Kern Community College District ENACTED $180 Million 11/02 59.2%

San Jose – Evergreen Community College District ENACTED $135 Million 11/98 67%

Gavilan Community College District ENACTED $108 Million 3/04 56.75%

Compton Community College District ENACTED $100 Million 11/14 78.39%

Butte -Glenn Community College District ENACTED $84.9 Million 3/02 65.8%

Community College Districts Currently Being Represented for 2016

Butte – Glenn Community College District

Cabrillo Community College District

Kern County Community College District

Long Beach Community College District

Pasadena City College

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San Jose-Evergreen Community College District

Selected Community College District Case Studies (Sequential Funding Needs)

As indicated, LEG has extensive experience representing community college districts that have long-

term, sequential funding needs. As your District is aware, the success or perceived disappointments

of previous bonds are both opportunities and potential disappointments for internal stakeholders

and external watchdogs. Below are some selected case studies:

Coast Community College District -- $1.068 Billion over two bonds. Implemented

comprehensive community coalition-building effort, overcame editorial opposition in fiscally

conservative Orange County by running a highly localized campaign targeted at the District’s

diverse, distinct communities. The first campaign secured the vote by identifying 1,000

endorsers that included GOP standard-bearers. The second campaign overcame internal

dissention and unfinished negotiations by appealing strongly to external audiences using a

clear message of support for military veterans.

El Camino Community College District -- $744 Million over two bonds. Implemented

comprehensive community coalition-building effort, overcame taxpayers’ association

opposition by running a highly localized campaign targeted at the District’s diverse, distinct

communities. Opponents of the first bond spent thousands of dollars to mail to every home in

the Manhattan Beach community in an effort to defeat the bond.

Ohlone Community College District -- $499 Million over two bonds. Ohlone College is in a

fiscally conservative area of Alameda County. The District overcame challenges in the first

bond that included concerns about the siting of Ohlone College Newark Center, internal

District and Board dissension, a skeptical local media, and post-9/11 voter trauma, garnering a

2-point win. During the height of concerns about unemployment and the economy, a

protracted planning effort designed to maximize the vote saw the second, 2010 bond succeed

by a comfortable margin despite editorial opposition.

Additional K-12 School Districts Represented over the past Five Years

In addition to Salinas Union High and Spreckels Union school districts, LEG has represented the

following K-12 districts over the past five years:

Alhambra Unified School District Current Client 2016

Barstow Unified School District Current Client 2016

Brea Olinda School District Current Client 2016

Centinela Valley Union High School District JPA* 2 cents/sq.ft. Parcel Tax 69.50%

Central School District $35 Million Bond 66.49%

Chino Valley Unified School District Current Client 2016

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Chaffey Joint Union High School District* $848 Million Bond 63.60%

Emery Unified School District* $95 Million Bond 73.87%

15 cents/sq.ft. Parcel Tax 85.65%

Etiwanda School District Current Client 2016

Eureka City Schools District $49.7 Million Bond 57.39%

Fremont Unified School District $650 Million Bond 61.18%

Lodi Unified School District Current Client 2016

Long Beach Unified School District* Current Client 2016

Los Nietos School District $13 Million Bond 77.04%

$15 Million bond 77.11%

Lynwood Unified School District $93 Million Bond 55.70%

Manteca Unified School District $159 Million Bond 59.05%

Merced City School District $60 Million Bond 57.25%

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District $375 Million Bond 57.39%

Oakland Unified School District* $120 Parcel Tax 76.57%

Ontario Montclair School District* Current Client 2016

Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Current Client 2016

Ross Valley Unified School District* $41 Million Bond 71.05%

San Bernardino City School District* $250 Million Bond 69.60%

San Leandro Unified School District* $39 Parcel Tax 66.80%

San Mateo – Foster City School District* $148 Million Bond 57.50%

Sonoma Valley Unified School District* $40 Million Bond 67.60%

Tahoe Truckee Unified School District* $135 Parcel Tax 68.70%

Temple City Unified School District $128.8 Million Bond 63.10%

Twin Rivers Unified School District Current Client 2016

Vallejo City Unified School District Current Client 2016 *Districts successful in sequential bonds or parcel taxes.

4. PROPOSED PROJECT TEAM

If Hartnell College chooses to partner with The Lew Edwards Group again, the District can be

assured of strong, consistent leadership from top executives in our firm, including personnel that

directed Measure H efforts.

Catherine Lew, Esq.

President and CEO

Hailing from Salinas, California Catherine Lew, co-founder and President/CEO of The Lew

Edwards Group, has three decades of experience in the communications and political arena. She is a

veteran of over 600 political campaigns, many of them difficult 55% or two-thirds requirement

education measures. Lew was the Lead Consultant for Hartnell College’s Measure H campaign in

2002 and enjoyed attending classes at Hartnell as a young student.

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Under her leadership, LEG is the leader in passing successful college bonds represented by the firm

to an election, including sequential bonds for districts with long-term facilities funding needs such as

Coast CCD ($1.068 Billion total); El Camino CCD ($744 Million total); and Contra Costa County

CCD ($540 Million) among many others. Lew is currently assisting Butte-Glenn, Kern, and Long

Beach community college districts with their 2016 bond planning needs, among others.

Lew was also the lead District communications strategist for the Los Angeles Unified School District,

one of the largest K-12 districts in the country (four successive bond elections raising billions), and

Long Beach Unified School District, winning a $1.2 Billion bond in November 2008. Lew has also

directed successful bond and tax measures for the Salinas Union High School District, Spreckels

Union School District, and the City of Seaside among several others.

Catherine Lew is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the University of San

Francisco School of Law. She is a member of the California State Bar and a frequent presenter at the

Community College League of California. In 2015, Lew was a featured panelist at the national

conference of the Association of Community College Trustees on how to effectively prepare for a

successful bond. She was raised in Salinas and is a graduate of Salinas High School. As she did in

2002, Lew would serve as the College’s Lead Public Information Consultant.

Carlos Penilla

Senior Project Manager

Carlos Penilla brings nearly three decades of experience in public policy, issue advocacy, and all

facets of political campaigns to Lew Edwards Group clients. He has spent many of those years

tracking legislation and developing grassroots support for federal, state and local issues as a Chief of

Staff, Legislative Director, and Field Representative to several state and local elected officials. As a

senior legislative staff member, his responsibilities included managing the officials' Capitol and field

offices, their legislative and political agendas, as well as all incoming and outgoing communications.

While serving in campaign management positions for more than 20 years, Penilla has overseen all

field operations, including media relations, coordination of volunteers, phone bank operations, and

development of targeted mailing campaigns, as well as fundraising, social media, commercials, and

press releases. Penilla quarterbacked efforts on behalf of North Orange County Community College

District’s $574 Million bond, helping to win this election in the last 90 minutes prior to polls closing.

Penilla is currently quarterbacking efforts for Central Union High School District, San Jose Evergreen

CCD, and Pasadena City College.

A long-time resident of the Los Angeles area, Penilla received his Associates in Arts from Cerritos

College, his Bachelors of Science in Public Administration from the University of Southern California,

and a Certificate in Campaign and Political Management from the University of California at Davis.

Penilla will serve as the College’s Communications Specialist.

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5. SELECTED CLIENT REFERENCES

Please feel free to contact the following references about The Lew Edwards Group:

Coast Community College District SUCCESSFUL - $1.068 Billion total

Interim Chancellor Gene Farrell

714-438-4888 gfarrell@mail.cccd.edu

Vice Chancellor for Business Services Andrew Dunn

714 -438-4611 adunn@mail.cccd.edu

North Orange County Community College District SUCCESSFUL - $574 Million

Dr. Rajen Vurdien (now President-Superintendent of Pasadena College)

626-585-7201 rvurdien@pasadena.edu

Fred Williams, Vice Chancellor for Business Services

714-808-4746 fwilliams@nocccd.edu

Mt. San Jacinto Community College District SUCCESSFUL - $295 Million

Superintendent/President Roger Schultz (third attempt, first with LEG)

951-487-3002 rschultz@msjc.edu

Vice President for Business Services Becky Elam

951-487-3013 belam@msjc.edu

West Valley-Mission Community College District SUCCESSFUL- $350 Million

Vice President for Business Services Edralin Maduli

408-741-2082 Ed.maduli@wvm.edu

6. PROJECT UNDERSTANDING

Overview

Hartnell College is a Hispanic Serving institution serving a highly diverse constituency and broad

geographic communities over an enormous region served by the College including Bradley,

Castroville, Chualar, Gonzales, Greenfield, Jolon, King City, Lockwood, Moss Landing, Pinnacles,

Prunedale, Salinas, San Ardo, San Lucas, Soledad, and Spreckels. As a prominent institution in the

Salinas Valley, the College is in a locale which prides itself on its agricultural tradition.

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Working together, LEG assisted the College in enacting Measure H in 2002, which has completed key

flagship projects such as the Center for Applied and Lifelong Learning, Center for Advanced

Technology at Alisa, Field of Dreams, and much-needed parking among other facilities upgrades.

Measure H funds have been spent responsibly and refinanced, reducing the total tax debt and saving

taxpayers millions.

However, the STEM building project heralds the exhaustion of Measure H funds. The College is

currently contemplating whether to proceed with exploration of a bond in the $170 Million range in

November 2016, which would be an optimal election due to the high turnout Presidential election.

Among other needs identified in the Facilities Master Plan, educational programs must be expanded

in South County and nursing and allied health programs broadened. Initial survey results show good

potential viability.

Project Parameters

As the College is aware, by law no public funding can be spent on campaign or partisan activities. As

in 2002, our efforts must be segregated into three phases:

Public Information Program: Hartnell College’s public resources are utilized appropriately to

conduct preparatory activities. Should the College choose to proceed with a 2016 bond election, your

Bond Preparation activities would terminate shortly after your Board of Trustees formally acts to

place a bond on the ballot, typically 88 days prior to the election called. For a November 2016

election, the statutory date this year is August 12th for submittal of election materials.

Partisan Campaign: In Measure H, once the District Board acted to place a measure on the ballot, the

work of passing the bond transferred to the volunteer Yes on H Committee which raised the funds

and organized volunteers to educate voters about the bond, with LEG serving as Campaign

Consultant.

Post-Campaign: As you are aware, post-election communications are important to keep the

community and stakeholders educated about the proper use of bond funds and the status of facilities

projects. In Phase Three, the District’s H Oversight Committee was engaged in reviewing proceeds.

This proposal is specifically focused only on those activities that can legally be implemented by

Hartnell College in the Bond Preparation/Informational Phase of your effort, and does not address

the partisan campaign activities that The Lew Edwards Group could also provide to your volunteer

campaign committee following the natural conclusion of these services.

Our overall objectives during the Public Information Program Phase are to:

1) Update and seek input from your internal stakeholders on facilities and bond planning issues.

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2) Update and engage external opinion leaders and the public-at-large on your current successes

and future needs through: Speakers’ Bureau Outreach, Earned (nonpaid) Media, New Media,

Internet strategies, and informational mailings.

3) Refine the District’s 2016 Bond Expenditure Plan to integrate community priorities as

identified in the polling and outreach processes, to align with the College’s academic and

stakeholder priorities.

4) Work with District Bond Counsel to develop important voter information and handbook

materials that describe your 2016 Bond Measure clearly and effectively to your voters in

today’s communications environment.

Legal Considerations

As always it is extremely important for the District to only contract for legally permissible planning

and preparation activities. As the District is aware, as recently as January 27th the California Attorney

General issued another opinion regarding the use of public funds by school districts, noting that

“…pre-election services [that] may be fairly characterized as campaign activity” are precluded.

LEG has worked closely and effectively with Bond Counsel who specialize in community college

districts. LEG’s effective collaboration with your Bond Counsel to ensure that all District

communications products are factual – not advocacy – in nature, is critical. Company President

Catherine Lew is a member of the California State Bar, making this collaboration easy and effective as

it was previously in your district -- and will assist the College in continuing to avoid problematic

issues. Though LEG does not provide legal advice, all of our experts are very familiar with and have

complied – as have our clients – with all local, state and federal laws and regulations.

Demographic and Environmental Considerations

It is interesting to note the key demographic shifts that have occurred in your district since the

Measure H campaign:

2002 2016

Total Registration: 86,500 97,120

Republicans: 33.1% 22.4%

No Party Preference/DTS: 16.4% 25.5%

Latino Voters 36.8% 51.8%

65+ 16.6% 20.4%

Unlike other CCDs who have remained stagnant, your voter audience has increased and your CCD’s

share of NPP/Other has grown by virtually 10 points. The CCD’s strong percentage of base education

voters—particularly Latinos—undoubtedly contributes to the District’s promising survey results

provided that residents are informed about the needs that any future bond is designed to address.

Due to the geographic reach of the District, it will be necessary to localize the District’s planning and

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engagement and make sure key constituencies like students are energized, as your retiree registration

has up ticked a bit and there are other competing tax measures at the top of the ballot.

7. PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES

Project Support

As we did for the College previously, the Lew Edwards Group will assist the District in preparing for

a potential 2016 bond, and can also work separately with the District’s community committee on a

successful campaign following the natural conclusion of LEG’s services to the District.

LEG will collaborate closely and effectively with District Cabinet and staff, and other professionals

such as the District’s bond underwriter/financial advisor, Bond Counsel, and pollster.

LEG will:

Participate in regular planning sessions with the District and its bond professionals

Assist in developing Public Information meeting agendas and discussion topics with the input

of all participants

With your assent and participation, facilitate Public Information planning sessions

Routinely update the Strategic Public Information Plan and Timeline to ensure all project

benchmarks are met

Create tasking follow-up so all team-members, including LEG, can efficiently deploy on team

Public Information tasks

Support a well-coordinated strategy among all the disciplines, professionals, and District

leadership participating in your Bond Preparation program

LEG’s client-empowered, team-building approach is well suited to a shared governance model. LEG

executives work enthusiastically and effectively to build consensus on an effective bond preparation

plan that reflects the diverse perspectives of all District leaders and stakeholders, including the

Executive Cabinet, Faculty/Staff, students, community and Foundation partners and Labor

stakeholders.

Getting Started

To gain current familiarity with Hartnell College needs, LEG will:

Meet with the District Leadership Team to discuss academic programs, successes,

challenges and problems. We are extremely excited about the prospect of visiting to see the

results of our joint Measure H efforts –and talk to your stakeholders – students, faculty and

staff – about current needs.

Review all recent news clips about the District.

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Conduct additional analysis of all election results and demographic shifts in the District

since Measure H.

This background work will provide LEG experts with the current information we need on your

academic programs and successes; the specific needs facing the College today as opposed to 14 years

ago; current perspectives of faculty, local educators, and stakeholders; and the historical and political

context of the public’s views of the College and its needs since Measure H’s passage.

Engaging District Stakeholders and the Public-At-Large

To build the foundation for a successful 2016 College-sponsored Bond Planning Program, the College

must methodically build awareness among your current College Stakeholders and the community-at-

large (local elected officials, community opinion leaders, and local residents) about current needs.

Doing so will build consensus among your internal Stakeholders and educate the community-at-large

about Hartnell College’s current vision, priorities, academic, funding and facility needs.

Outreach that mobilizes and engages constituents and citizens – and localizes the message –will

continue to ensure success for the College, since your District is comprised of multiple communities

that are very diverse, each with unique constituencies. Our objectives are to:

Build buy-in with District Stakeholder and External Influentials. Despite promising survey results, the

wild card Presidential Election means that any 55% requirement tax measure still needs a strong level

of consensus among stakeholders and influentials. All internal District stakeholders – including

students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the associations that represent these stakeholders – must

be kept informed throughout the process and engaged early. The District has already engaged key

members of the Measure H Oversight Committee in recent earned media events which is great, since

the Committee is an excellent messenger for the District’s Measure H results and fiscal stewardship.

LEG will prepare a schedule for Stakeholder and Key Influential updates, and the drafts of these

updates.

Educate and Engage your Public in a legally permissible fashion. We must methodically and specifically

educate your constituents on the College’s current academic, facility, and funding needs. LEG will

identify key messages for dissemination in your Public Information Program. Samples of LEG’s past

work for the College and more recent award-winning direct mail products are included in this

Proposal Appendix and the accompanying firm backgrounders.

Identify Messengers for External Outreach. We anticipate that your faculty members, local alumni, and

the Superintendent/President continue to enjoy credibility as messengers for a potential 2016 bond

measure. Supplementing internal stakeholders with external community messengers is an essential

part of your strategy to update your community on your current needs.

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As part of our preparation effort, we will make recommendations to the College about the external

partners/messengers who should be engaged in your 2016 effort, and train them so College

messengers can appropriately and legally educate the public at-large about the facts of your potential

bond proposal throughout the process. These activities can be conducted on work-time, so long as

they are nonadvocacy in nature. Talking points and presentation materials will be developed by

LEG.

Communications Collaterals. Key messages will be identified and reinforced in the nonpartisan public

information materials we will conceive on behalf of the District. This is NOT “general PR” but very

specifically focused and tailored communication.

Take advantage of all forms of Media. As you know, communication modes have changed dramatically

since 2002. Traditional print media is no longer the only major avenue of communications. We will

work with the Hartnell College team to take full advantage of community media, organizational or

neighborhood-based publications, the District’s website, E-updates, and new media in advancing the

College’s vision and message.

Effectively address all “Rapid Response” needs. In today’s era of 24-7 information availability, many of

our districts are grappling with the most effective and prudent responses to negative media,

unforeseen controversy, mixed coverage from bloggers, or the immediate posting of news. Not all of

our community college districts, for example, have enjoyed editorial media support for their bonds.

Though it appears as though the College is off to a great start, drafting a timely and effective strategy

and knowing when and how to respond, are key services that LEG provides to support the efforts of

the Hartnell College team.

Structuring a 2016 Bond Proposal

LEG will assist in providing input on the parameters of a General Obligation Bond Measure that

reflects your community’s concerns and priorities, and work with Bond Counsel to refine the ballot

question and collaborate on other Voter Handbook submittals so that they are understandable to the

average person. Typically, these will include the Ballot Question, District Resolution, and Ballot

Argument/Rebuttal. As in our past collaboration, Bond Counsel will be the final authority on all legal

issues, but LEG will provide essential, value-added strategic input and facilitate the participation of

other professionals.

8. MANAGEMENT PLAN

The College may find the management chart on the following page helpful.

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9. SAMPLE TIMELINE

The most effective timelines are those created in collaboration with you. A sample is below.

Sample November 2016 Election Timeline

Hartnell College District Bond Information Planning

Identifies only those activities that can legally be implemented by the College.

TO-DATE COLLEGE HAS ASSESSED POTENTIAL BOND VIABILITY

Retain pollster professionals (District)

Design/Develop Survey Research

Conduct public opinion research

Analyze polling results for feasibility

Brief District Board

Hartnell College Constituents

Hartnell CCD Trustees

College President

Hartnell College Core Bond

Working Team District Bond/Legal

Counsel

District Pollster,

Financial Advisory Team

Catherine Lew, LEG

Information Consultant

Carlos Penilla, LEG

Communications Specialist

Bonnie Jean von Krogh, LEG

Media Specialist

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APRIL 2016

FOCUS ON INTERNAL PREPARATION/FOUNDATION-BUILDING

Recommend Strategic Communications Plan

o Key Communications Messages

o Internal & External District Outreach

Develop external Speakers’ Bureau Hit list for presentations

Develop Speakers’ Bureau Training Materials, Conduct Training

o Develop external Speakers’ Bureau Toolkit

o Train District Leaders, selected students and faculty on delivering

presentations to external community groups/organizations

Engage additional District Leadership

o Foundation Board

o Student Government Officials

o Faculty and Staff Association Leadership

Conduct broader internal engagement

o Campus town halls

o Email update Faculty/Employee/Stakeholder E-Update on

bond planning

Assess Internal Reactions from stakeholders

Assess external email/internet databases and refine database of

external Opinion Leaders

o District updates list of 250 external community leaders/Key

Influentials to receive additional information

MAY 2016

INITIATE UPDATES TO EXTERNAL COMMUNITY

Brainstorm Bond Advisory Committee members and issue invitations

Launch external Speakers’ Bureau (District)

The District will begin delivering presentations throughout the

District to community organizations to discuss the current needs

Develop external Opinion Leader Letter #1

Implement Earned Media

Issue Internal Faculty/Employee/Stakeholder E-Update #2 on bond

planning

Conduct Community Bond Advisory Group Meeting #1

Implement Earned Media

Optional Districtwide Interactive Mailing

JUNE 2016

Optional second Districtwide Report Back Mailing

Optional Tracking Survey to be conducted by College’s pollster

Implement Opinion Leader letter #2

Continue external Speakers’ Bureau outreach efforts

Implement Earned Media

Begin to draft all resolution and voter hand-book materials

Assess potential Advocacy Campaign resources

Build momentum for Board Presentation

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JULY –

AUGUST 2016

PREPARE FOR MEASURE PLACEMENT

Finalize all voter handbook materials

Conduct Final Community Bond Advisory Group Meeting

Board acts to place Bond on November 2016 ballot

Mail final Opinion Leader Letter and Districtwide mailing in

August

Update Measure materials posted on District website

Prepare/submit Tax Rate Statement (Financial Advisor)

Work transfers to a volunteer campaign committee to develop ballot argument and

launch advocacy efforts

10. DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL INCIDENTS

No disclosures applicable.

11. PROPOSED PROFESSIONAL FEES/RECOMMENDED COSTS

Professional Consulting Fees

The Lew Edwards Group’s proposed fee to prepare for a potential November 2016 bond election is

$25,000 for a project term through August 15th. Please note that without exception and consistent

with our past collaboration, The Lew Edwards Group does not charge on an hourly or time and

materials basis, therefore this bid does not include that type of fee structure. A monthly payment

schedule will be designated in the contract exhibits we will provide to the College if selected to

partner with you.

This fee is for District-sponsored planning only, as campaign management fees will be agreed to with

the Community Campaign Committee upon the natural conclusion of LEG’s services to the District.

LEG’s proposed consulting fee represents the District’s cost to retain our strategic expertise and

overall project management – and does not include hard project costs such as mailings.

Potential Direct Mailing Costs

As the College is initiating its Informational Campaign efforts later than in our past collaboration, we

are not certain if Public Information mailings are desired by the College. In our past collaboration,

we received a very positive reaction to the interactive mailing paid for by the College as a means of

getting input from your public. However, that type of mailing is most effective as an early strategy

and it also seems as though the College has already identified its projects of interest. LEG can better

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advise whether these types of mailings are needed following review of your survey results and

additional conversation with the College. In 2002, two District mailings were implemented.

12. COMPANY PRESIDENT SIGNATURE

A wet signature of Company President Catherine Lew appears on the cover page of the original

proposal copy submitted as part of this package. Examples of our past collaboration and nationally-

recognized, award winning Information Mailings are in the Appendix to this proposal and

accompanying brochures. Thank you very much for your consideration!

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APPENDIX

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