San Gabriel council approves consulting contract to test ballot measure for public safety building; polling, outreach to begin
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Summary
The City Council authorized a professional services agreement with Lou Edwards Group and FM3 Research to conduct polling and outreach to test voter support for a possible parcel tax and bond to pay for a new public safety building, voting 5-0. Consultants will test tax-rate sensitivity, priorities and timing for a June or November 2026 ballot.
The San Gabriel City Council on Oct. 21 authorized the city manager to enter into a professional services agreement with the Lou Edwards Group and FM3 Research to conduct polling and public outreach on the feasibility of a ballot measure to fund a public safety building and other possible infrastructure projects. The motion passed 5-0.
City Manager Mark Lazaretto told council the city lacks sufficient budget to pay for a new public safety building without an additional revenue source. "With all of that, we have, not enough money in our budget to pay for a public safety building," Lazaretto said. He said the city is considering a funding strategy that could include a parcel tax and a bond; a parcel tax would require approval by two-thirds of voters.
The proposed consulting team pairs Lou Edwards Group (lead consultant on outreach and education) with FM3 Research (public-opinion polling). City staff said FM3 previously polled for Measure SG and produced accurate forecasts; Lou Edwards has experience with ballot measures across the San Gabriel Valley. Catherine Lou of the Lou Edwards Group said the work does not require final design plans before polling: "we do not need final plans. In fact, there is no successful client that I know of that has an absolute built out plan," she said, adding that polling will test community priorities and tax-rate sensitivity.
Staff described a multi-part process: an early baseline poll to measure current voter sentiment without education, community engagement and education led by Lou Edwards, and a follow-up poll to measure whether outreach changed support and to fine-tune ballot language. The team will test different cost scenarios and priorities (for example, seismic retrofit or 9-1-1 dispatch needs) and recommend whether to seek placement on the June 2026 or November 2026 ballot, noting each election has a different voter mix.
City staff said the needs-assessment contract for the police-station site is already underway with an architecture firm; the needs assessment and consultant polling will be used together to determine a target bond amount for any ballot measure. City staff also noted the county is considering related sales-tax measures that could affect voter response and strategy.
Council members asked about timing and detail. Staff said a resolution calling a June election would likely be required roughly five months in advance and that November timing can differ; staff and consultants will present options to council well before any final decision. The city manager said there is sufficient funding in the current fiscal year to begin the consultant work; additional costs for the next fiscal year would be budgeted later.
Motion and vote details are summarized below.
Votes at a glance: - Consent calendar (personnel and benefit changes, including salary increases effective 06/28/2025 and 11/01/2025 as listed in staff report): Approved by motion, 5-0. (See staff report for specific pay-grade and benefit adjustments.) - Authorization to enter professional services agreement with Lou Edwards Group and FM3 Research for ballot polling and outreach: Approved by motion, 5-0.
