Title
Consider recommendations regarding State Advocacy Contracts with Hurst Brooks Espinosa, LLC (HBE) and Governmental Advocates (GA), as follows:
a) Approve and authorize the Chair to execute an Agreement for the services of independent contractor HBE to provide State advocacy services for the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025 for a term of three years at a cost of $81,000.00 for the initial year, with an increase of approximately 3% for the two subsequent years, with a total amount not to exceed $250,800.00 for a three-year term with the option to extend for a maximum of two years;
b) Approve and authorize the Chair to execute an Agreement for the services of independent contractor GA, Inc. to provide additional State advocacy services for the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 for a total amount not to exceed $60,000.00 for a one-year term with the option to extend for additional two years, for a maximum three-year term; and
c) Determine that the above actions are not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4) because they consist of the creation of government funding mechanisms or other government fiscal activities which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.