City Council

B. APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE LEW\nEDWARDS GROUP AND FM3 RESEARCH TO PROVIDE BALLOT MEASURE\nPOLLING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH SERVICES AND AWARD-WINNING BID\nTO THE LEW EDWARDS GROUP AND FM3 RESEARCH\nThe City of San Gabriel continues to evaluate long-term funding strategies to\naddress essential public safety and infrastructure priorities. To assist in this\nevaluation, retention of The Lew Edwards Group (LEG) and FM3 Research (FM3)\nis proposed to provide ballot measure feasibility services, including public\nopinion research and strategic communications support. LEG would serve as\nthe lead consultant, providing overall project coordination and community\nengagement strategy, while FM3 would conduct statistically valid voter opinion\nresearch through a baseline survey and, if desired, a follow-up tracking survey.\nBased on the scope of services and election timing, the combined not-toexceed cost is estimated at $171,250 should the city proceed with both surveys\nand pursue placement of a measure on the November 2026 General Election\nballot. Funds for a ballot initiative have been included in the 2025-2026 Fiscal\nYear budget. Additional funds will be included in the 2026-2027 budget to\ncomplete the project. LEG’s standard professional rate is $6,750/month for the\nduration of the project (typically through the month of the election itself). These\ncosts do not include additional City expenditures typically associated with\nballot measure planning, such as information mailings and digital outreach\ncampaigns, which would be determined separately.\nCalifornia Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Determination: Not a Project as\ndefined in Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines.\nRecommended Action:\nStaff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter\ninto a Professional Services Agreement with The Lew Edwards Group and FM3\nResearch to provide ballot measure polling and public outreach services.