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Rosemead council debates hiring a third lobbying consultant, stops short of changing awarded contracts
Summary
Councilmembers discussed responsiveness and performance of current state lobbyists, with Councilmember Steven Lee and Councilmember Dang defending Daryl Lucien’s engagement and Mayor Sandra Armento warning against reopening awarded contracts; the council received and filed the discussion with no immediate contract change.
At its regular meeting, the Rosemead City Council discussed whether to hire an additional lobbying consultant but did not alter any awarded contracts.
Councilmember Margaret Clark raised concerns about responsiveness from one lobbying firm and suggested exploring options; she said the city can cancel underperforming contracts but wanted to avoid knee-jerk actions. "First of all, Gonzales was way lower as far as the cost," Clark said, and noted she was "not happy with the way they're behaving." (Councilmember Margaret Clark, public remarks.)
Councilmember Steven Lee, who chairs the advocacy committee, urged the council to give the current lobbyists another chance. "Whenever I've called our lobbyists, they readily pick up my phone call. Whenever I text them, they readily text me back. Whenever I email them, they readily email me back," Lee said, describing a recent one-and-a-half-hour meeting with state lobbyist Daryl Lucien about available funds.
Councilmember Dang likewise praised Daryl Lucien’s results, noting recent fundraising and grant wins and telling colleagues he has good rapport with him. "He hit a home run. He banked $5,000,000," Dang said, arguing that Rosemead should rely on existing consultants and use the city manager to bridge communication gaps if councilmembers cannot reach a lobbyist directly.
Mayor Sandra Armento cautioned about setting a precedent: the contract was awarded through a bidding process, she said, and reopening awarded contracts without following procedure could invite repeated challenges. The mayor indicated the item was "received and filed" with discussion noted; the council did not vote to terminate or re-award any contracts during the meeting.
Separately, the council adopted its consent calendar earlier in the evening; Councilmember Steven Lee moved to adopt the consent calendar and the motion passed 5-0.
