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City's contracted state lobbyist describes work, procurement and flat annual fee of $276,000
Summary
Paul Yoder, the city's contracted state lobbyist, told the committee his firm handles roughly 600 flagged bills this session on behalf of San Francisco, was selected via RFP, and charges $276,000 per year under the current contract; he described internal tracking and daily monitoring of amendments.
Paul Yoder, the state lobbyist under contract to the Mayor's Office, told the Government Audit and Oversight Committee his firm has represented the City and County of San Francisco for seven years, was selected via a competitive RFP and has an annual contract price of $276,000.
"So moving on, it's $276,000 a year," Yoder said when asked about the contract price. He said the firm has not changed that price in seven years and noted the contract has initial terms and options to extend. Yoder described the firm's municipal focus: "We represent probably at this point, close to 50 local governments in the state of California."
On workload, Yoder said the current legislative session included about 2,600 bills and his firm had flagged roughly 600 as potentially relevant to the city. He described an internal matrix to track every position the Board takes, an assistant who ensures resolutions are uploaded for Sacramento committees, and a daily monitoring workflow that alerts the Mayor's Office when material amendments occur.
Yoder also cited examples of work he said his firm had supported for the city, including Mission Rock development-related matters, transportation-related legislation (AB 1184) and seawall funding conversations. He told supervisors he can produce tracking documentation for Board staff on request.
The committee heard the explanation of procurement, price and operations and agreed to continue the item to the call of the chair so mayoral staff can give further details and answer follow-up questions.
