1 TO: City Council
FROM: Andrew Vialpando, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Lina Hernandez, Assistant City Manager
MEETING DATE: July 1, 2025
SUBJECT: First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Tripepi Smith for General Communications Support
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the First Amendment to the Agreement with Tripepi Smith for public information and communications services.
BACKGROUND
Tripepi Smith has been providing various public information and communications services to the City of Lomita since 2016.
At its meeting on August 15, 2023, the City Council approved a renewal of the City’s agreement with Tripepi Smith, consolidating various communications support services under a single contract. The scope of services includes general communications support, website content management and technical assistance, audio/visual broadcasting for City Council and Commission meetings, video production, and citywide outreach and communications.
The agreement also allows for supplemental services as needed, supporting a wide range of projects such as video production, photography, graphic design, and branding efforts to enhance the City’s communication and engagement with the community.
DISCUSSION
With the voluminous number of projects underway in recent months, the City has significantly expanded its communication efforts to ensure the public stays informed and engaged. These projects include the 60th Anniversary events, major capital improvement projects, City branding efforts, and enhanced community outreach.
CITY OF LOMITA
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
Item No.
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2 Importantly, the City has also expanded its social media presence through the assistance of Tripepi Smith, increasing posts to virtually every day. Additionally, the City has broadened its outreach across multiple channels, including the production of videos, event posters and signage and the development of written articles and updates for the website and newsletters. Ongoing coordination across departments ensures that the City’s website and other communication platforms remain current and aligned with key priorities, supporting more timely updates, broader community engagement and greater visibility into City programs and services.
To help guide and strengthen these efforts, Tripepi Smith recently completed a comprehensive communications assessment, which identified opportunities to expand outreach, improve consistency across platforms, and align messaging with community expectations.
With this heightened level of activity, the City has exceeded the original contract amount for the current year and recommending an additional $45,000 to cover these additional services until staff can return to the City Council with a revised multi-year agreement in August 2025. The recommended amendment would cover a three-month period during which staff will continue evaluating long-term needs.
The current three-year term of agreement with Tripepi Smith is set to expire on August 15, 2026. It is anticipated that the results of the communications assessment will be presented at an upcoming City Council meeting, along with a proposed contract amendment and budget adjustment for the City Council’s consideration to allow for the incorporation of the recommendations from the assessment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The attached agreement, if approved by the City Council, would appropriate $20,000 for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and $25,000 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, for total amount not to exceed $45,000.
OPTIONS
Approve recommended action.
ATTACHMENTS
1. First Amendment with Proposal to Agreement 2023-26
Approved by: Prepared by:
_______________________ __________________________
Andrew Vialpando Lina Hernandez
City Manager Assistant City Manager