Clifford Moss is an election planning, political strategy, public affairs and strategic communications firm built on a deep sense of personal and professional ethics. We are committed to re-building California's aging infrastructure and creating needed social change through effective communications, community engagement, organizing and electoral politics.
Whether you are a public agency, non-profit, business, or candidate, the first thing we do when you come to us is listen. Together we will craft a solution that works for you and your community.
LA Unified – the largest school district in the State - needed a $7 billion bond to build facilities to provide an excellent education to all students. We ran the multi-million dollar mail, digital and targeted field campaign to secure a huge win for LA students.
Alameda County childcare providers and Children’s hospital desperately needed funds to provide high-level care for local kids. We spearheaded the effort to gather signatures to place a measure on the and we ran the winning campaign.
Santa Cruz City Schools’ multiple parcel taxes with multiple renewal dates are a critical funding source but demanded almost a year around effort to prepare for “the next renewal.” We ran the campaigns to simplify and combine this vital funding – and secure it in perpetuity.
“Oside” schools needed a $160M infusion to upgrade classrooms and instructional technology that better prepares students for college and careers. We ran the campaign that surfed to victory, locking in “a wave of new funding” for modernized schools in this coastal community.
Many years before, voters in Campbell UHSD had said yes to supporting career training; instruction in math, science, and technology; the arts; manageable class sizes; and more. Now, with that support set to expire, CUHSD needed continued funding for programs. But while others had seen success at the ballot, they had lost twice in recent years. The team began working with CliffordMoss to ensure a needed win. Measure O would avoid cuts without increasing tax rates, and allow for a senior exemption. The community said yes with 75.94% support!
The largest regional park district in the U.S. needed help extending a critical parcel tax funding stream to maintain wildfire protection, urban creeks, water quality, and natural habitats. We ran the campaign (mail, digital and field ) that delivered the big win with 85.6% support on Election Day!
This local fire district faced a massive under-funding problem. Putting our tool box to work with video, direct mail, texting, phone, digital ads and more, we ran the initiative that shed new light on a dark situation and helped pave the way to new funding solutions for essential emergency services.
Oakland had asked voters years before to invest in their community. Oakland needed to continue critical revenue without raising tax rates. Measure U focused on affordable housing, repairing streets and keeping them safe, better parks and libraries, and more. Oakland voters said yes with 75.33% support!
A “library longshot” became a dream come true with supportive strategy and key leadership. Altadena Libraries needed a complete facilities update along with continued programming support. Ideally - they would ask voters for both - and they did! The two locally treasured libraries won in a big way with a sustainable source of local funding for years to come - with 72.35% support.
The City had polled a local sales tax to address critical needs such as public safety, addressing homelessness, and services for seniors, youth, and the arts. But polling was on the bubble. CliffordMoss worked with the team leading up to a possible election, investing in a robust public engagement and listening effort. The final result - Measure 0 passed 15 points above the majority, at 65%.
As the California Gubernatorial recall began to heat up and polling suggested the recall could win, Labor reached out to CliffordMoss for help with a get-out-the-vote strategy designed to make sure progressive, no-on-recall voters would actually cast a ballot. We developed a grasstops, media and field strategy to ensure mid-propensity "no" voters would turn in their ballots before the mid-September election.
Treva Reid was a first-time candidate looking for experienced counsel. We developed her messaging, mail, digital and a robust field campaign (during the pandemic).
In a crowded field of five, with ranked choice voting, Treva won by 20 points!
Rosemary Kamei understood the community values who she’d represent- putting public safety and neighborhood communities first. She worked diligently with local first responders and was ultimately endorsed by both the San José Fire Union and San José Police Officers’ Association. Along with knocking on community member doors to listen and understand community needs, she was endorsed by countless elected officials. Among three vying for the seat, Councilmember Kamei won outright by almost 40 points.
Dave Cortese came to us for help with his State Senate Race. Together we built a multilingual, multimedia campaign with a giant field operation and won the crowded primary by 12 and the general, against millions in outside spending, by 10 points.
When the window opened for energizing Hayward volunteer Elisa Marquez to run for public office, she called CliffordMoss. Since then, we’ve helped Elisa win multiple city elections, activating the power of grassroots campaigning to “do the good you want to see in the world.”
Torrance Unified came to us asking for help improving communications and public trust. Our solution: a Strategic Communications Initiative to engage, inform, communicate and transform the TUSD organization into a culture of communicators. It’s a work in progress that’s working!
The City asked for our help educating its community about a ballot measure critically important to the city’s future. Operating strictly in the “information ONLY” lane, we got the job done employing video, online ads and 2-way mail to tell their story factually and transparently.
P-BVUSD had BIG needs that weren’t going away, but their polling showed a steep climb to win a school bond. We created BIG strategic communications goals to pull off ultimate success: Investing leadership and resources into public engagement long before deciding to place a bond on the ballot. They shared their STORY of “Excellence in Education,” asked for input, LISTENED, and then went back to LISTEN again (via mail AND online). In particular, they listened to opinion leaders for years leading up to their decision, including the Kern County Taxpayers Association, who ultimately endorsed Measure I. The BIG strategic idea required consistent investment on many levels, and ultimately moved the dial to WIN!
We’ve worked as a strategic advisor to the Oakland Athletics Baseball club in their effort to build waterfront ballpark on an unused Oakland port terminal that will provide thousands of new union jobs and hundreds of millions in needed community benefits.
A leading force in the Bay Area regional economy, Facebook tapped CliffordMoss to engage local elected and civic opinion leaders on a proposal to reactivate the Dumbarton Rail Corridor. The idea is part of an ongoing Bay Area conversation on transportation solutions.
We worked with BART on their history making $3.5 billion Measure RR bond. We currently are working with the external affairs team on strategic communications regarding their future needs and district wide stakeholders.
What we did for NAME
Laura Crotty
Vice President
Tracey Miller-Zarneke
Senior Project Advisor
Chandler Clifford
Support Services Manager
Patrick Falzer
Project Advisor
Gabriel Ortega
Project Advisor
Eliseo Mercado
CliffordMoss Fellow
