Almost everyone I know that got into the field of political campaigns did so as an idealist. We cared about the issues and the candidates, we believed passionately that we knew the answers to the great issues of our day, and our position or our candidate was part of that answer.
When we thought about the clash of ideas, the picture in our heads was much more Lincoln-Douglas debates from 1858 than what passes for political commentary on cable news today, where two or three “talking heads” shout talking points over each other.
The reality of nearly 40 million California residents and a million people in a State Senate district, for example, coupled with the busyness and distractions of modern life, quickly threw that idealism out the window. Even “small towns” like my own home of Rocklin have 60,000 residents and over 30,000 voters, challenging the ability of a candidate for Mayor to meet every voter.
In the place of formats with 60 minute opening statements, 90 minute responses, and 30 minute rejoinders; campaigns turned to the 30 second TV spot and the campaign mailer where we were trained to put the number of words on the piece that matched the time it took for a voter to walk from their mailbox to their trashcan. This was not just a phenomenon of politics. As the world got bigger, the ability of “everything” to keep up was challenged and “one-size-fits-all” became the norm. Communication was top-down – broadcast from three networks and one or two newspapers.
Now, however, the incredible revolution in information technology and social media powered by the Internet has the world rapidly getting smaller again, and with that, the manner in which we communicate, inform ourselves, and win the wallets of consumers and the minds of voters is changing back. Social media, “big data”, and other technological advancements mean customers expect a two-way dialog and choices customized to their liking.
These same tenets apply to voters as well. Each has a level of engagement they want in a campaign. And smart, modern campaigns can deliver on these expectations. Technology is allowing us to return to the days, and perhaps even idealism, of earning an Election Day win, one voter at a time, in a manner that at least allows the voter to be educated to the level they desire and that the campaign makes available.
Will it be Lincoln-Douglas again? No. In some ways it may be better, because a single issue – slavery – dominated those debates, and perhaps voters wanting to hear a discussion of tax policy or foreign policy were left short-changed. But are we entering an era where those voters who want to be smarter about the issues and candidates before them can get that? I believe – and hope – we are.
The Platinum Triangle, Angels baseball, Ducks hockey and Disneyland’s Star Wars-themed land. Anaheim is coming up, and for those seeking luxury accommodations, a new hotel will open next year. Come spring 2020, a JW Marriott will bring the newest four-diamond luxury hotel to Anaheim. This will be the first JW Marriott in Orange County and Anaheim’s third four-diamond hotel. The other two are The Walt Disney Co.’s Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
Just two blocks away from the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center and adjacent to the GardenWalk outdoor shopping center, the 12-story, 466-room JW Marriott will feature 45K SF of meeting space, a rooftop bar with views of Disneyland’s nightly fireworks show, an outdoor meeting space, a Zen garden, a yoga studio and a fitness facility.
The JV of Prospera Hotels and O’Connell Hotel Group broke ground on the JW Marriott last year.
“Anaheim is more exciting today than it has been since Walt Disney came to town and built Disneyland,” O’Connell Hotel Group Chairman Bill O’Connell said. “Aside from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, there’s the [Anaheim] Angels and [Anaheim] Ducks and now we’re seeing a lot of expansion and older motels being redeveloped.”
Disneyland is opening its much-hyped Star Wars-themed land called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge this summer. The 14-acre, $1B section of the park will feature two rides, including a Millennium Falcon attraction, and Star Wars-themed retail and restaurants.
Developers are continuing to pour money into The Platinum Triangle, where the Los Angeles Angels baseball team and Anaheim Ducks play, and a pipeline of $1.5B in development, including condominiums, apartments, offices, retail and a hotel.
The Convention Center completed an expansion a couple of years ago. The GardenWalk recently sold and will undergo a repositioning, and more projects, such as the $450M LT Platinum Center, will soon break ground.
But despite so much momentum, there are lingering labor issues that will affect hospitality.
In 2013, the City Council awarded a $158M room tax subsidy to the JV of O’Connell and Patel to build two luxury hotels next to the GardenWalk. The JV was among three companies that received tax subsidies in exchange for building a four-diamond luxury resort in the city. The Wincome Group and Disney also received tax subsidies in 2015.
Voters recently passed Measure L, which requires Anaheim hospitality and other businesses that receive a city tax rebate to pay their employees a minimum wage of at least $15/hour starting this year that will increase to $18 by 2022.
An annual “living wage” increase will follow after 2022.
The measure will likely eat in to the hotel’s operating costs. O’Connell and Prospera Hotels President and CEO Ajesh Patel declined to comment on Measure L’s impact on their business. Wincome, which broke ground on a Westin Anaheim before the vote, has put its second planned hotel on hold following Measure L’s November approval. Disneyland canceled its agreement with the city ahead of the vote last year.
“These hotels were built under a business model that did not include the wage rate under Measure L,” Anaheim Chamber of Commerce spokesman Jeff Flint told Bisnow. “While it’s up to the owners and operators of the hotel to measure the impact, we know that the two [other] pending hotels under the original agreement are at serious risk of cancellation because of the higher wage rate. The chamber is concerned that this will ultimately lead to the cancellation of the second Wincome hotel and GardenWalk hotel and the city really needs those luxury hotels to be built.”
Bisnow spoke with O’Connell and Patel about the opening of the new JW Marriott, the sale of the GardenWalk and other happenings in the city.
Bisnow: First off, congratulations on the topping off. How is construction going? What’s the status of the development?
Patel: We are at full height and have all of the concrete floors complete. … We’re targeting an early 2020 opening — maybe a March or April time frame. We’re focusing on drywall and painting and the lower floors. You’re going to see the crane come down in the next month or so. It’s definitely an exciting time for the project, and we still have a lot to do.
Bisnow: Talk about the state of the hospitality industry in Anaheim. There are a lot of things going on. Why are you so bullish on Anaheim and your project?
O’Connell: You see everything that’s going on at Disneyland. We [also] have the Angels, Ducks, the greatest convention centers in the nation. … Now with the new leadership who are pro-business and pro-resort, we’re going to get a lot of great things done.
Patel: The reason why we have so much faith that a four-diamond luxury hotel will perform in this market is just what Bill had alluded — you have the convention center that recently expanded. As a result of that, you have higher-end conventions that are looking into the market like the medical and pharmaceutical conventions. The [city] didn’t really have a luxury offering. … There are a lot of people that want to stay in higher-end hotels but are not able to find accommodations with the existing inventory, I think the JW will fill that gap.
Bisnow: What are your thoughts on the recent sale of the Anaheim GardenWalk? Historically, that retail center has struggled. Are you working with the new owners to have that same type of synergy like the JW Marriott next to LA Live?
Patel: We’ve met with the owners. They’ve done a lot of retail. We’ve seen some of their plans. We’re excited that there is new ownership involved and they are putting dollars in and [attracting] new tenants. We haven’t see all of their full plans with re-tenanting and everything they are working on. But, it’s important that if we’re building a luxury product, there are luxury offerings. We’re excited and we’re hoping that with new ownership that they’ll have higher-end experiences.
O’Connell: We’re encouraged that they have several tenants that are doing tenant improvements and getting ready to move in. We feel the JW Marriott will be a big asset that will contribute to their success.
Bisnow: What kind of impact will Star Wars land have on the city’s hospitality industry?
Patel: Huge impact. [laughing] When Disney California Adventure was revamped and introduced Cars Land, the market saw a sizable demand increase across the board. Star Wars is a larger expansion than that and frankly, has a much more loyal following because they’ve been around longer. We think there is going to be a pretty sizable impact on the market in a positive way and very excited for [Galaxy’s Edge] to open.
FSB is pleased to announce the following staff promotions and newest hire in our Orange County and Sacramento Offices:
Orange County:
Mayra Vega has been promoted to an Account Executive and Latino Outreach & Spanish Language Specialist. She is in charge of creating strategic outreach plans for both the general population and Latino communities in order to build long-lasting relationships between clients and their publics. Mayra has been with FSB for two years.
Nailea Ayalahas been hired as an Account Coordinator after working as an intern for one year in the OC office on a variety of FSB’s clients. Nailea plays an integral role in FSB’s bilingual and bicultural practice.
Sacramento:
Jessica Sweeten has been hired as an Account Coordinator after working as an intern in the Sacramento office on a variety of FSB’s clients.
Rosana Torres has been promoted to an Assistant Account Executive and Latino Outreach & Spanish Language Specialist. She serves as an in-language spokesperson for several clients and works on social media outreach, grassroots campaigns and community relations strategies. An active member of the National Guard, Rosana has been with FSB in Orange County for three years and will be relocating to the Sacramento office later this month while continuing to work on southern California clients.
Will Hixsonhas been promoted to an Account Executive. He assists coalition-building and media relations for the firm and has more than four years’ experience in public relations roles. Will has been with FSB for two years.
Sarah Pollo, MA has been promoted to a Senior Account Supervisor and Social Media Director. She manages the daily activities for various public affairs campaigns. She is an effective social media and grassroots strategist for various candidate and issue campaigns at the local, statewide and Congressional levels. Sarah has been with FSB for eight years and just recently earned a master’s degree in government at Sacramento State.
Rachel Smith has been promoted to an Associate Vice President and Media Relations Director. She leads FSB’s public relations practice and oversees earned media campaigns for the firm’s clients, including global companies, national organizations, local businesses and non-profits. Rachel has been with the firm for nine years, spending 2012 in the Orange County office as an Account Supervisor before moving back to Sacramento.
FSB Core Strategies is a full-service public relations, public affairs, political consulting and marketing firm with offices located in Sacramento, Roseville, Anaheim, and Costa Mesa.
New Hire Will Add Leadership to Public Affairs Practice and Help Drive Long Term Strategy
Sacramento (August 7, 2017) – FSB Core Strategies (FSB) today announced long-time public affairs practitioner, Bill Romanelli, previously Senior Director with APCO Worldwide in Sacramento, has joined the firm as Senior Vice President and will provide further leadership to the firm’s Public Affairs Practice.
“Bill is an exceptional addition to our team—his reputation for being a thoughtful, skilled strategist and communications professional is widely recognized, said Jeff Flint, FSB President and CEO. “We have been looking for the right person to provide further leadership to our Public Affairs Practice along with the partners for some time and Bill embodies our firm’s values, culture and strategic vision. He is the perfect person for the position.”
Romanelli has nearly 25 years’ experience representing companies, associations, industry coalitions and nonprofits seeking to tell their story and advance their cause on a variety of local, state and federal issues. Over the years he has led multiple communication and outreach campaigns to educate and influence decision makers, reporters and local communities on a wide variety of issues. He possesses experience in energy and natural resources, conservation, environmental remediation, flood control, civil justice reform, health care, land use, and public safety.
“This is an exciting new chapter for me and for FSB Core Strategies,” said Romanelli. “They’ve been a firm to watch for a number of years already, and I’m very honored to be joining this dynamic and growing team.”
Romanelli rounds out FSB’s senior leadership team, which includes Jeff Flint as firm president and CEO, Cherri Spriggs-Hernandez as firm principal and chief marketing officer, Kristy Babb as firm principal and chief administrative officer, Jerry Amante as the firm’s general counsel and senior vice president and David Murillo as vice president of the firm’s Association Management Services practice. Romanelli’s addition helps position the firm for future growth and will assist in the firm’s long-term strategic direction.
FSB Core Strategies recently celebrated its 5th anniversary, though the company has been providing public affairs, public relations and association management services statewide since 2001 through predecessor companies. Recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal as one of the premiere public affairs and public relations firms in the region, FSB has delivered great successes on behalf of government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations. FSB employs a team of 20 professionals between offices in Sacramento and Orange County.
One of the last Victorians on a commercial corridor of midtown Sacramento’s J Street has a new owner, and plenty of history.
Public relations firm FSB Core Strategies is planning to move 11 employees from a leased office at 520 Capitol Mall to 1800 J St. by month’s end. The firm bought the three-story, 4,100-square-foot building with an Italianate design in November for $1.16 million, according to property records.
Firm partner Cherri Spriggs Hernandez said there were two reasons to buy the building at the corner of 18th and J, which dates to 1873. One was practical: After leasing its two offices in Sacramento and Orange County, the firm wanted to establish a permanent home, she said.
But the other had a bit more whimsy. “This was always my dream,” she said, as an art major in college who liked architecture and fell in love with the building when it came on the market last summer. “To me, it’s the quintessential historic Sacramento house.”
FSB is the Sacramento area’s third-largest PR agency, based on 2016 PR fee income. While the firm was mulling whether to buy, Spriggs Hernandez said, she delved into the building’s history.
It was one of nine Victorians German immigrant Rudolph Wittenbrock built in midtown Sacramento, while making a fortune in hops. His was first, with a concrete stoop outside still bearing the family name. He built the others later for his daughters as they married, but 1800 J is the only one left.
The building remained a family home until 1961, then served as an art gallery, union hall and eventually an office for law firm Jones & Dyer. The firm, which bought it in the 1990s, is consolidating elsewhere after one partner’s retirement and the sale to FSB.
As she led a tour of the house Tuesday, Spriggs Hernandez pointed out where FSB will have a conference room overlooking 18th Street, a reception room from the front entrance on J, and second-floor offices.
The third floor is actually a sub-basement with cabinetry installed by the law firm. Those will be removed to create a plug-in space for employees visiting from the Orange County office, while an employee break room on that floor will be retained.
Spriggs Hernandez said there will also be some general aesthetic improvements, such as carpeting and paint. But she said she’s eagerly anticipating the future, from spending summer mornings on a back patio to hosting Halloween parties to being a place for people to drop in on Second Saturdays.
The new location gives FBS greater visibility, but also a different kind of reputation as a public relations firm in an accessible, welcoming neighborhood rather than a traditional office, she said.
“That makes us different as a firm, because people can see the closeness between us as partners,” she said. “That closeness is why clients choose us.”
“We’re a family business, and we’ve been joking the family finally has a home,” she said.
Nate Cyphers, a vice president at CBRE Sacramento, brokered the sale on behalf of FBS Core Strategies. CBRE Sacramento first vice president Tony Whittaker represented the seller.
Jeff Flint Schubert is the President and CEO of FSB Core Strategies and the Senior Partner in the firm. He oversees all aspects of the firm, including client services, project management, business development, and managing the business. Jeff has extensive experience in public relations and political campaigns.
Jeff Flint Schubert 