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HomeMy WebLinkAbout25G - AGMT - STATE GOVERNMENT LIAISONREQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: JULY 15, 2013 TITLE: AGREEMENT FOR STATE GOVERNMENT LIAISON SERVICES WITH TOWNSEND PUBLIC AFFAIRS CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDED ACTION CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY: APPROVED ? As Recommended ? As Amended ? Ordinance on 1St Reading ? Ordinance on 2"d Reading ? Implementing Resolution ? Set Public Hearing For CONTINUED TO FILE NUMBER Authorize the City Manager and Clerk of the Council to execute an agreement for state government liaison services with Townsend Public Affairs in an annual amount not to exceed $50,000, subject to non-substantive changes approved by the City Manager and City Attorney. DISCUSSION Local government agencies rely upon the expertise of state government consultants to represent their respective government agencies in Sacramento. This service typically includes the review and monitoring of state executive proposals and legislation, as well as administrative rules and regulations that may affect cities. Townsend Public Affairs has provided this service to the City of Santa Ana for the past 13 years. During this time, Townsend Public Affairs has served the City well by advocating for legislation, policies and regulations that protect the City's interest. In addition, Townsend Public Affairs has identified grant funding opportunities, and Proposition 84 monies of which the City received five million dollars for the Roosevelt Elementary Park project. Townsend Public Affairs represented Santa Ana's interests numerous issues, including: the City's liabilities from the agency, the state budget, the enterprise zone program and proposals, local water quality issues, and numerous pieces City and its operations. in Sacramento this past year on dissolution of the redevelopment other local economic development of legislation directly affecting the 25G-1 Agreement For State Government Liaison Services With Townsend Public Affairs July 15, 2013 Page 2 FISCAL IMPACT Funds are available in the Public Works Administrative Services account (no. 10117601-62300) and General Fund Legislative Affairs (no. 01104012-62300). APPROVED AS TO FUNDS AND ACCOUNTS: Raul Godinez Executive Director Public Works Agency Francisco Gutierrez Executive Director Finance & Mgmt. Services Agency 25G-2 CONSULTANT AGREEMENT THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this 15'h day of July, 2013 by and between Townsend Public Affairs, Inc., a California corporation (hereinafter "Consultant"), and the City of Santa Ana, a charter city and municipal corporation organized and existing under the Constitution and laws of the State of California (hereinafter "City"). RECITALS A. The City desires to retain a consultant having special skill and knowledge in the field of government lobbying. B. Consultant represents that it is able and willing to provide such services to the City. C. In undertaking the performance of this Agreement, Consultant represents that it is knowledgeable in its field and that any services performed by Consultant under this Agreement will be performed in compliance with such standards as may reasonably be expected from a professional consulting firm in the field. NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual and respective promises, and subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, the parties agree as follows: 1. SCOPE OF SERVICES Consultant shall perform lobbying services on behalf of the City, as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by reference. COMPENSATION a. City agrees to pay, and Consultant agrees to accept as total payment for its services, $4,166 per month, including expenses. The total sum to be expended under this Agreement shall not exceed $50,000 during the term of this Agreement. b. Payment by City shall be made within thirty (30) days following receipt of proper invoice evidencing work performed, subject to City accounting procedures. Payment need not be made for work which fails to meet the standards of performance set forth in the Recitals which may reasonably be expected by City. 3. TERM Notwithstanding the date set forth above, the term of this Agreement shall be deemed to commence on July 1, 2013 and terminate on June 30, 2014, unless terminated earlier in accordance with Section 12, below. 4. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR Consultant shall, during the entire term of this Agreement, be construed to be an independent contractor and not an employee of the City. This Agreement is not intended nor shall it be construed to create an employer-employee relationship, a joint venture relationship, or to allow the City to exercise discretion or control over the professional manner in which Consultant performs the services which are 25G-3 the subject matter of this Agreement; however, the services to be provided by Consultant shall be provided in a manner consistent with all applicable standards and regulations governing such services. Consultant shall pay all salaries and wages, employer's social security taxes, unemployment insurance and similar taxes relating to employees and shall be responsible for all applicable withholding taxes. 5. INSURANCE Prior to undertaking performance of work under this Agreement, Consultant shall maintain and shall require its subcontractors, if any, to obtain and maintain insurance as described below: a. Worker's Compensation Insurance. In accordance with the provisions of Section 3300 of the Labor Code, Consultant, if Consultant has any employees, is required to be insured against liability for worker's compensation or to undertake self-insurance. Prior to commencing the performance of the work under this Agreement, Consultant agrees to obtain and maintain any employer's liability insurance with limits not less than $1,000,000 per accident. b. Professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance, with a combined single limit of not less than $1,000,000 per claim. c. The following requirements apply to the insurance to be provided by Consultant pursuant to this section: (i) Consultant shall maintain all insurance required above in full force and effect for the entire period covered by this Agreement. (ii) Certificates of insurance shall be furnished to the City upon execution of this Agreement and shall be approved in form by the City Attorney. (iii) Certificates and policies shall state that the policies shall not be canceled or reduced in coverage or changed in any other material aspect without thirty (30) days prior written notice to the City. 6. INDEMNIFICATION Consultant agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless the City, its officers, agents, employees, consultants, special counsel, and representatives from liability for personal injury, damages, just compensation, restitution, judicial or equitable relief arising out of claims for personal injury, including death, and claims for property damage, which may arise from the direct or indirect operations of the Consultant or its contractors, subcontractors, agents, employees, or other persons acting on their behalf which relates to the services described in section 1 of this Agreement. The Consultant further agrees to indemnify, hold harmless, and pay all costs for the defense of the City, including fees and costs for special counsel to be selected by the City, regarding any action by a third party challenging the validity of this Agreement, or asserting that personal injury, damages, just compensation, restitution, judicial or equitable relief due to personal or property rights arises by reason of the terms of, or effects arising from this Agreement. City may make all reasonable decisions with respect to its representation in any legal proceeding. 7. CONFIDENTIALITY If Consultant receives from the City information which due to the nature of such information is reasonably understood to be confidential and/or proprietary, Consultant agrees that it shall not use or disclose such information except in the performance of this Agreement, and further agrees to exercise the same degree of care it uses to protect its own information of like importance, but in no event less than 25G-4 reasonable care. "Confidential Information" shall include all nonpublic information. Confidential information includes not only written information, but also information transferred orally, visually, electronically, or by other means. Confidential information disclosed to either party by any subsidiary and/or agent of the other party is covered by this Agreement. The foregoing obligations of non-use and nondisclosure shall not apply to any information that (a) has been disclosed in publicly available sources; (b) is, through no fault of the Consultant disclosed in a publicly available source; (c) is in rightful possession of the Consultant without an obligation of confidentiality; (d) is required to be disclosed by operation of law; or (e) is independently developed by the Consultant without reference to information disclosed by the City. 8. CONFLICT OF INTEREST CLAUSE Consultant covenants that it presently has no interests and shall not have interests, direct or indirect, which would conflict in any manner with performance of services specified under this Agreement. 9. NOTICE Any notice, tender, demand, delivery, or other communication pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be properly given if delivered in person or mailed by first class or certified mail, postage prepaid, or sent by telefacsimile or other telegraphic communication in the manner provided in this Section, to the following persons: To City: Clerk of the City Council City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza (M-30) P.O. Box 1988 Santa Ana, CA 92702-1988 telefacsimile 714-647-6956 With courtesy copy to: City Attorney City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza (M-29) P.O. Box 1988 Santa Ana, California 92702 telefacsimile 714-647-6515 To Consultant: Townsend Public Affairs, Inc. 2699 White Road, Suite 251 Irvine, CA 92614 Telefacsimile 949-476-8215 Attn: Christopher Townsend A party may change its address by giving notice in writing to the other party. Thereafter, any communication shall be addressed and transmitted to the new address. If sent by mail, communication shall be effective or deemed to have been given three (3) days after it has been deposited in the United States mail, duly registered or certified, with postage prepaid, and addressed as set forth above. If sent by telefacsimile, communication shall be effective or deemed to have been given twenty-four (24) hours after the time set forth on the transmission report issued by the transmitting facsimile machine, addressed 25G-5 as set forth above. For purposes of calculating these time frames, weekends, federal, state, County or City holidays shall be excluded. 10. EXCLUSIVITY AND AMENDMENT This Agreement represents the complete and exclusive statement between the City and Consultant, and supersedes any and all other agreements, oral or written, between the parties. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and any attachments hereto, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail. This Agreement may not be modified except by written instrument signed by the City and by an authorized representative of Consultant. The parties agree that any terms or conditions of any purchase order or other instrument that are inconsistent with, or in addition to, the terms and conditions hereof, shall not bind or obligate Consultant nor the City. Each party to this Agreement acknowledges that no representations, inducements, promises or agreements, orally or otherwise, have been made by any party, or anyone acting on behalf of any party, which are not embodied herein. 11. ASSIGNMENT Inasmuch as this Agreement is intended to secure the specialized services of Consultant, Consultant may not assign, transfer, delegate, or subcontract any interest herein without the prior written consent of the City and any such assignment, transfer, delegation or subcontract without the City's prior written consent shall be considered null and void. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit the City's ability to have any of the services which are the subject to this Agreement performed by City personnel or by other consultants retained by City. 12. TERMINATION This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon thirty (30) days written notice of termination. In such event, Consultant shall be entitled to receive and the City shall pay Consultant compensation for all services performed by Consultant prior to receipt of such notice of termination. As a condition of such payment, the City Manager may require Consultant to deliver to the City all work product completed as of such date, and in such case such work product shall be the property of the City unless prohibited by law, and Consultant consents to the City's use thereof for such purposes as the City deems appropriate. 13. DISCRIMINATION Consultant shall not discriminate because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, or disability, as defined and prohibited by applicable law, in the recruitment, selection, training, utilization, promotion, termination or other employment related activities. Consultant affirms that it is an equal opportunity employer and shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. 14. JURISDICTION - VENUE This Agreement has been executed and delivered in the State of California and the validity, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of any of the clauses of this Agreement shall be determined and governed by the laws of the State of California. Both parties further agree that Orange County, California, shall be the venue for any action or proceeding that may be brought or arise out of, in connection with or by reason of this Agreement. 25G-6 15. PROFESSIONAL LICENSES Consultant shall, throughout the term of this Agreement, maintain all necessary licenses, permits, approvals, waivers, and exemptions necessary for the provision of the services hereunder and required by the laws and regulations of the United States, the State of California, the City of Santa Ana and all other governmental agencies. Consultant shall notify the City immediately and in writing of her inability to obtain or maintain such permits, licenses, approvals, waivers, and exemptions. Said inability shall be cause for termination of this Agreement. 16. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS a. Each undersigned represents and warrants that its signature hereinbelow has the power, authority and right to bind their respective parties to each of the terms of this Agreement, and shall indemnify City fully, including reasonable costs and attorney's fees, for any injuries or damages to City in the event that such authority or power is not, in fact, held by the signatory or is withdrawn. b. All Exhibits referenced herein and attached hereto shall be incorporated as if fully set forth in the body of this Agreement. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement the date and year first above written. CITY OF SANTA ANA ATTEST: MARIA D. HUIZAR Clerk of the Council KEVIN O'ROURKE Interim City Manager APPROVED AS TO FORM: By: Laura Sheedy Assistant City Attorney TOWNSEND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, INC. CHRISTOPHER TOWNSEND President 25G-7 EXHIBIT A OBLIGATIONS OF TOWNSEND PUBLIC AFFAIRS INC. A. Townsend Public Affairs will represent the City of Santa Ana in Sacramento. B. The Consultant will confer with the Legislative Council Committee, City Manager and such other City personnel as the City Manager may designate at times and places mutually agreed to by the City and Consultant on all organizational planning and program activity which has a bearing on the ability of the City to make the best use of state programs. C. Consultant will review state proposals, legislation under consideration, proposed and adopted administrative rules and regulations and other Sacramento developments for the purpose of advising the City of those items which may have a bearing on City policy or programs. D. Consultant will secure and furnish such detailed information as may be available on state issues in which the City indicates an interest. E. As requested by the City, Consultant will review and comment on legislative proposals and grant applications of the City which are being prepared for submission to state agencies. F. Consultant will maintain liaison with the City's state legislative delegation and other appropriate state legislators, including the Governor and legislative leadership, and will assist the delegation in any matter which the City determines to be in its best interest in the same manner as any other member of the City's administrative staff might render assistance. G. Consultant will counsel with the City regarding appearance by City personnel before legislative committees and administrative agencies and will arrange for appointments and accommodations for City personnel as necessary. H. Consultant will contact state agencies on the City's behalf when City applications are under consideration by such agencies, facilitate provision of additional information from the City, resolve potential concerns, provide guidance to the City, and otherwise take whatever steps appear to be necessary to obtain the most favorable consideration of such applications. 1. Consultant will support City efforts related to federal appropriations and other initiatives requiring outreach to local and regional agencies. 25G-8