Big Wins, New Faces, and the Work Behind the Headlines

Dear Friends,

Fall in Los Angeles usually comes with two kinds of shows.

One happens on a stage — red carpets, live television and, inevitably, a few too many speeches. The other happens on the political stage — campaigns, debates, attack ads and, yes, a few too many speeches there too.

This year, our team has had a front-row seat to both.

But some of the work we are proudest of happens long before the cameras arrive or the headlines are written. It happens in strategy sessions, difficult conversations, late-night calls, creative problem-solving and the determination to keep pushing when the answer isn’t obvious. That is what we love about this work.

Over the past several weeks, Michael Yosef and Debby Chen helped the Television Academy bring elected officials behind the scenes of the Emmy Awards, giving policymakers a firsthand look at the people, jobs and businesses that power California’s entertainment industry. Days later, our team helped the Academy welcome Governor Gavin Newsom for the signing of landmark legislation strengthening California’s creative workforce and protecting jobs.

We’re also working with the Entertainment Community Fund on an ambitious Hollywood project bringing together affordable housing, creative space and career opportunities for entertainment professionals; supporting major investments and small-business initiatives in Palm Springs; and helping Happy Trails for Kids create a permanent 133-acre home where children in foster care can build friendships, confidence and a lasting sense of belonging.

Very different projects. One common thread: people, opportunity and making things better.

Our clients often come to us with complicated challenges, limited resources, competing interests or ideas that require a little persistence to turn into reality. We bring experience, relationships, creativity and a willingness to roll up our sleeves — and we care deeply about the people and missions behind the work.

In this edition, we’re sharing some of what has kept us busy lately — and yes, we’re going to brag a little.

And about that other show in town: politics. We deliberately left the campaign updates out of this issue because there was simply too much to cover. Next week, we’ll send a special politics-only edition with the latest on the Los Angeles mayor’s race, California’s race for governor and some of the national contests we’re watching most closely. Consider this your trailer.

We’re grateful for our clients, proud of our team and excited about what’s ahead.

There is always more work to do, more challenges to solve and more opportunities to make a difference.

That’s what keeps us going.

Backstage Pass: Bringing Policymakers Behind the Emmys

Most people experience the Emmys as one glamorous night on TV. What they don’t see is the small city of crew members, artisans, technicians, and craftspeople it takes to put the show on.

So the day before television’s biggest night, the Daley Strategies team worked with the Television Academy to bring a group of elected leaders behind the scenes of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater. On the tour: State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, L.A. City Councilmembers Adrin Nazarian and Traci Park, and Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis.

The idea was simple: show, don’t tell. Leaders walked the production floor, met the craftspeople, and saw firsthand how many good-paying jobs depend on keeping production in California. They left talking about the creative workforce — and several of them posted about it, too.

Some of the best moments happened off the stage. We helped connect Sen. Pérez with Television Academy Foundation interns in the Giving Suite — the next generation of the very workforce this advocacy is about. And on Emmys night, our team was on the ground helping the Academy welcome and engage the elected officials in the room, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Four Days Later: A Bill Signing at the Academy

On September 18, Gov. Newsom came back. This time, he brought a pen.

At the Television Academy’s campus, he signed AB 2319 by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, creating California’s first standalone tax credit for post-production work: the editors, sound teams, composers, visual effects artists, and finishing crews whose jobs have been quietly drifting to other states and countries. The credit covers 35% to 50% of qualifying post work done here — even if the project filmed somewhere else. He also signed SB 186, which makes California’s existing film and TV credit easier to use, especially for independent productions.

Behind the scenes, our team worked to secure the signing at the Academy and coordinate the moment with the Governor’s office, Asm. Shultz, bill sponsors, and industry partners. It capped months of advocacy alongside the Academy and the California Post Alliance, including meetings in Sacramento this spring with Assemblymembers Chris Ward and Rick Zbur.

The room said it all: Assemblymembers Schultz and Zbur, Senators Ben Allen and Henry Stern, the California Film Commission, MPEG Local 700, the California Post Alliance, and members of the Academy, all under one roof to celebrate the people behind the credits.

“California is still the future of film and television,” Newsom said. We’d like to think the setting helped make the point.

For an industry that has spent years watching jobs leave for Georgia, London, and Toronto, this was a real win. For our team, it’s exactly the kind of work we love: connecting a client’s mission to the people who make policy — and then making sure the moment lands.

The Encore: What’s Next for the Academy

We’re not done. In October, the Academy hosted a California Film Commission board meeting on its campus, and our team helped the Academy and Foundation spotlight their workforce programs. Next up: on October 29, the Academy will host the Assembly Select Committee on Growing and Retaining the Creative Economy for an informational hearing with Assemblymember Zbur and members of the L.A. delegation. Stay tuned.

Now Casting: Funders for Hollywood’s Next Act

Every great production needs a second act. Our client the Entertainment Community Fund is writing one.

For more than a decade, the Fund has been building something Hollywood never had: a place where the people who make entertainment can actually afford to live and create, in the neighborhood that made the industry famous. It’s called the Hollywood Arts Collective.

Act One was a hit. The Cicely Tyson Residential Building opened in 2024 at 1630 Schrader Boulevard, just off Hollywood Boulevard, with 151 affordable apartments for performing arts and entertainment workers, plus resident gardens and soundproof rehearsal studios. It filled fast.

Now comes Act Two. The Fund is entering Phase 2 of the Rita Moreno Arts Building, the creative heart of the campus. It’s planned to house the 71-seat Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Theater, LA Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), a satellite campus of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and the Fund’s training center, with programs that open doors for underserved young filmmakers and creatives.

And like every production in this town, it needs backers. Here’s the casting call:

The role — Founding funders and partners: philanthropists, studios, foundations, corporate partners, and public agencies who want to help build Hollywood’s next landmark.

The set — The heart of Hollywood, on the same campus as 151 artists who already call it home.

The payoff — A permanent home for theater, visual art, arts education, and career training, plus naming opportunities across the campus for those who step up early.

How to audition — We’re proud to support the Fund as it builds its coalition of supporters. If you or your organization would like to learn more, just reply to this email and we’ll make the introduction.

At a time when the industry is fighting to keep jobs here, the Hollywood Arts Collective is a bet that the next generation of creative talent will be trained, housed, and discovered in Hollywood. We think that’s a story worth funding.

AROUND THE FIRM

Palm Springs Invests $1 Million in Small Businesses and Local Entrepreneurs

Small businesses are the foundation of strong communities, but too many entrepreneurs struggle to access the financing, training, and support they need to succeed.

In Palm Springs, that’s changing.

The City Council recently approved a five-year, $1 million expansion of BizUp: Palm Springs, an innovative initiative providing business education, individualized coaching, and micro-grants to local entrepreneurs.

The investment builds on a successful pilot program that served approximately 70 entrepreneurs, supported 35 businesses, and helped create 21 jobs.

The expanded program will prioritize outreach to Section 14 survivors and descendants as part of the City’s broader commitments while remaining available to entrepreneurs throughout Palm Springs.

Daley Strategies is proud to support the City and its partners in advancing an initiative that turns public investment into economic opportunity.

Sometimes meaningful economic development starts with something simple: giving someone with a great idea the resources and confidence to build a business.

Palm Springs International Airport: A $93.6 Million Investment in the Future

On October 20, Palm Springs International Airport celebrated the groundbreaking of its new $93.6 million outbound baggage handling system — one of the airport’s most significant infrastructure investments.

Supported by more than $66.5 million in federal funding, the project will nearly triple baggage-processing capacity, improve operational reliability, and prepare the airport for continued growth.

Daley Strategies has been proud to support PSP and its leadership on strategic communications, government relations, and community engagement surrounding major airport initiatives.

Projects like this demonstrate what can happen when local leadership, federal investment, and long-term planning come together.

It’s more than an airport improvement. It’s an investment in the economic future of Palm Springs and the entire Coachella Valley.

A Permanent Home for Children in Foster Care

For children in foster care, stability, belonging, and lasting relationships can be life-changing.

That’s why the work underway at Happy Trails for Kids is so important.

After years of operating its overnight camps at rented facilities, Happy Trails is developing a permanent campus on approximately 133 acres in Acton, made possible through the support of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The new property will provide a lasting home for summer camps, outdoor recreation, mentorship, and year-round programs designed to help young people build confidence, meaningful relationships, and a sense of community.

Our Samantha Reed and Lydia Kelley have been working alongside the Happy Trails team as the organization prepares for this exciting next chapter.

The campus is expected to begin welcoming campers in 2027.

For a child whose life may have included repeated moves and uncertainty, having a place to return to year after year can mean everything.

We’re honored to support an organization making that possibility a reality.

NEW FACES

Expanding the Ensemble: Meet the Newest Members of Team Daley

Every great production depends on its ensemble. This year, ours got bigger.

As our work has grown — from Hollywood soundstages to Palm Springs groundbreakings — so has our team. Meet our two newest Account Coordinators, who have already left their mark on several of the stories in this edition.

Samantha Reed has seen government from just about every angle. She earned both her B.A. in Political Science and her Master’s in Public Administration from American University in Washington, D.C., interned for several Southern California members of Congress, and has worked on campaigns from school board races all the way up to the presidency. Before joining us, she was on the operations team at MissionWired, managing contracts and process improvements for nonprofit and political clients. Today, she supports nonprofit clients including NAMI Greater Los Angeles County and ETTA on city and county issues across Southern California, and works with Happy Trails for Kids. Samantha believes government can be a powerful force for good, and she brings that conviction to work every day. When she’s not at the office, she’s coaching U8 girls’ soccer or catching a movie or concert.

Charlie Golden knows how to bring people to the table. A graduate of California State University San Marcos, Charlie joined us from OPR Communications, where he helped clients navigate complex political environments and align their goals with public policy. Today, he’s coordinating the stakeholder workshops shaping the future of the Palm Springs Convention Center, and he works across the firm on strategic communications, policy research, and outreach to elected officials, agencies, and community partners. He’s also one of the voices behind The Daley Brief. Off the clock, you’ll find him at the beach or tracking down the next great local restaurant (recommendations welcome).

Different paths, same drive. Charlie and Samantha bring fresh energy, sharp instincts, and a genuine love for this work. And with a deeper bench, we have more room than ever to say yes to the next big challenge.

If this year has taught us anything, it’s that the next big challenge is usually just one conversation away.

Thank You, Scott Stiles

As Palm Springs City Manager Scott Stiles prepares to retire after more than 43 years of public service, all of us at Daley Strategies want to recognize someone who has become much more than a client and colleague — he has become a friend. For more than three years, our team has had the privilege of working closely with Scott on some of Palm Springs’ most important projects, challenges and opportunities. He is smart, strategic and steady, but what has always stood out most is his humanity. Scott genuinely cares about people, treats everyone with respect and approaches public service with warmth, decency and a real desire to help.

Perhaps Scott’s greatest legacy is the way he led the people around him. He trusted City staff, empowered them to do their jobs, gave them credit for their successes and created an environment where people knew their work mattered. We are deeply grateful for his friendship, his trust in our team and everything he has given to Palm Springs — a truly magical city that is better because Scott Stiles chose to serve it. And while Palm Springs will certainly miss him, we are excited for what comes next: more travel, great lunches and dinners, plenty of fun, and most importantly, more time with his wife Kelly and the daughters he absolutely adores. Knowing Scott, retirement won’t mean slowing down — it will simply mean having more time for the people, places and experiences he loves most. We couldn’t be happier for him.

LOOKING AHEAD

Public policy matters. Leadership matters. Partnerships matter.

But ultimately, what matters most is what happens after the speeches, announcements, and ceremonies are over.

Do jobs get protected? Do businesses grow? Are communities stronger? Are public investments making a difference? Are people better off?

Those are the questions that motivate our work every day.

Thank you for being part of the Daley Strategies community. We value your friendship, your partnership, and your continued interest in the issues shaping California and beyond.

Here’s to doing meaningful work — and making a meaningful difference.

The Daley Strategies Team

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