Advocacy & Lobbying for the Orange County Hotel & Lodging Association

Partnered with OCHLA to confront a challenging municipal wage initiative. Over six intensive weeks, we targeted decision-makers at the City Council level through high-impact briefings, tailored education sessions, and persuasive collateral articulating the economic pitfalls of the proposed ordinance.

Parallel to our lobbying efforts, we executed an eight-week digital advertising campaign that mobilized thousands of city residents. Our combined strategy compelled the City Council to commission an economic study and ultimately mandate a special election, a groundbreaking outcome for the hospitality industry in California.

The Challenge

A municipal wage initiative threatened to impose significant cost increases on OCHLA member hotels. The initiative had political momentum, and the City Council appeared poised to approve it without a public vote.

Our Approach

We ran a two-track campaign: direct lobbying of City Council members (six weeks of briefings, education sessions, and data-driven presentations) and a parallel public-facing digital advertising campaign (eight weeks) designed to mobilize residents and demonstrate broad community concern.

The Result

The City Council commissioned an independent economic study and ultimately mandated a special election rather than passing the ordinance by fiat, a groundbreaking precedent for the hospitality industry in California.