The Challenges:

Cities throughout California are required to comply with regulations included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act.  The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (The Board) is the regulating agency responsible for implementing and enforcing the Clean Water Act.  The Board issues permits and regulations which cities are required to comply with and limits which they are required to meet.  Environmental groups serve as advocate for stronger enforcement.

For the past decade in Los Angeles County, there has been an impasse in regulations related to stormwater run-off.  All parties have been entangled in a myriad of lawsuits, which has effectively stayed any new regulations from adoption and ultimately slowed the development of technologies and best management practices that would improve the quality of the region’s stormwater.

Cerrell Associates was retained by a group of cities to devise and implement a strategy to create a new association of cities that would promote better alternatives for communication and negotiation with both the Board and environmental groups.  The loose grouping of these cities became the Los Angeles Stormwater Quality Partnership (LASQP).

The Objective:

Create a public affairs strategy to change the relationship between cities and the Board from confrontation to collaboration.

Key Cerrell Activities:

• Created a new partnership with complete brand creation for the new association, including logo, vision statement and key messages
• Recruited cities to join LASQP in a time of severe budget cuts
• Organized quarterly workshops for membership on current trends in stormwater including monitoring and low impact development
• Cultivated new working relationships with Board staff, the Executive Officers, Board members and environmental groups
• Provided frequent updates during public comment period at Regional Board meetings
• Launched an unprecedented effort to unify cities throughout the region to join together to negotiate as one entity for forthcoming permit—branded as the Los Angeles Permit Group

Results that Speak for Themselves:

Cerrell successfully organized a conference of more than 100 attendees and 50 cities in Los Angeles County to discuss potential permit(s) and key issues for consideration in permit negotiations.  The forum has led to a series of working groups designed to further refine discussion about key issues.  The organization also has developed a more in depth working relationship with Board staff and third party stakeholders.

Contact Us:
Matt Gallagher, Vice President
P: 323-466-3445  |  E: gallagher@cerrell.com  |  web: www.cerrell.com 

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