Tripepi Smith Provides Carson Voter Education for Successful Sales Tax Measure
On January 12, 2021, the City of Carson officially certified the passage of Measure K, a three-quarters-cent (or 0.75%) sales tax. Measure K will now generate approximately $12 million annually to help Carson address important community needs. Voters approved the sales tax increase by a vote of 53.92% Yes to 46.08% No.
“The City had a limited timeline and budget to execute critical outreach and resident education on Measure K, and we benefited from excellent staff who stepped in to make it happen,” said City Manager Sharon Landers. “The circumstances surrounding the ballot measure made it all the more important that we as a City work to educate our public about the Measure. Tripepi Smith’s expertise was critical to ensure that we clearly and factually presented the information so that our voters could make an informed decision.”
Tripepi Smith had previously executed voter outreach and education for multiple successful sales tax measures for California cities. That experience translated into the ability to quickly execute a strategy to let as many residents as possible know where to find facts about the measure. With only a few weeks to prepare and execute a plan, City staff jumped in for speedy collaboration with Tripepi Smith.
“The good news is our virtual work environment and familiarity with online tools helped everyone move much faster,” said Senior Business Analyst Bria Balliet. “With a limited timeline, putting together the outreach project was a unique task that required some out of the box thinking. Ultimately, we were able to leverage multiple platforms available to Carson to reach the different demographics throughout the City.”
Led by Bria, Tripepi Smith used multiple talents on the team to turn around necessary deliverables in an accelerated timeline of two months, such as:
- A standalone informational webpage at CarsonMeasureK.org
- An informational mailer, sent via Every Door Direct Mail to over 29,000 Carson residents
- Social media posts and digital placements on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- An informational animated video to explain the basics of sales tax, how Measure K could change the current rate, and how funds could be used:
At the end of the engagement, Tripepi Smith provided a full outreach metrics report to City staff. Those statistics were a welcome method of explaining to management and the City Council exactly what the City did to inform voters.
“This was a fast-paced process for the City, and I am glad we could be a reliable, experienced resource for City Staff. I give credit to Sharon and her team for keeping pace and being both responsive to our asks and for being committed to transparency in the process ,” said Tripepi Smith President Ryder Todd Smith. “Tripepi Smith looks forward to more opportunities to partner with Carson and demonstrate the value we can add as a public affairs and marketing firm that specializes in local government.”
About City of Carson
Located in the South Bay of Los Angeles County, Carson is a culturally diverse community with a population of 91,714 residents. At 19.2 square miles, Carson is well known as an industrial center with unparalleled access to transportation and the Pacific Rim. Carson is home to more than 120 acres of park land divided into 12 parks, 2 mini-parks and sports/recreational facilities that include 3 swimming pools, a boxing center, a state-of-the art sports complex and the Carson Community Center.
About Tripepi Smith
Tripepi Smith is a California-based marketing, technology and public affairs firm that serves for-profit, nonprofit and public agencies. Its unique mix of marketing and technology prowess provides a competitive advantage to agencies seeking to leverage the internet to achieve their communication goals. The firm provides full content creation services, including: ghost writing, collateral development, photography, video production, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns and website design and execution. Tripepi Smith clients include: City of American Canyon, City of Culver City, City of Cupertino, City of Daly City, City of Duarte, City of El Cerrito, City of Indian Wells, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Lakeport, City of Lake Forest, City of Napa, City of Paramount, City of Santa Cruz, City of Tracy, City of Vallejo, Cal Choice Energy Authority, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Rowland Water District, California Contract Cities Association, California City Management Foundation, Institute for Local Government, League of California Cities, Renne Public Law Group, Bob Hall & Associates and Climatec Energy Services.