Rose & Kindel, one of L.A.’s premier lobbying and public affairs firms, is in negotiations to be acquired by a major international public relations company, a source close to the company said.
Under a deal still being hammered out late last week, Rose & Kindel would become an autonomous unit of a “large company in the industry with a national reach,” said another source close to the talks. “This deal would greatly increase the resources available to Rose & Kindel while still leaving the firm free to function on its own.”
Last week, Rose & Kindel spokeswoman Alicia Maldonado said there was no news to report and declined to elaborate.
None of the sources named a potential buyer. However, word that Rose & Kindel was close to being acquired was making the rounds within the close-knit world of L.A. lobbyists.
Rose & Kindel was founded in 1987 by Maureen Kindel, a confidante and commissioner under then-L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley, and Cristina Rose, who was one of the first women lobbyists in Sacramento. It quickly gained a reputation as one of the city’s top lobbying firms and now has 10 registered lobbyists and a total staff of 23 at offices in downtown L.A. and Sacramento.
In the mid-1990s, the Air Transport Association, which represents most major airlines, hired Rose & Kindel to fight an attempt by then-Mayor Richard Riordan to divert airport revenues to the city’s general fund. The ATA, which argued that the airport fell under federal, not city, jurisdiction, won a federal court case.
A few years later, Rose & Kindel represented locally-based health maintenance organizations as they tried to get the city to reduce their business license taxes. The HMOs argued the taxes were too burdensome and even threatened to relocate outside the city. After a three-year fight, the city agreed to lower the tax rates.
More recently, Rose & Kindel represented developers of the massive Playa Vista project in West Los Angeles as they sought approvals for the second phase of the project from the city. The City Council granted final approval for the second phase on Sept. 22.
In 2003, Rose & Kindel reported billings of nearly $5 million, Maldonado said. Of those, $873,000 came from clients having business before the city of Los Angeles, according to city Ethics Commission filings.
In the first quarter of 2004, the latest quarter for which figures were available from the Ethics Commission, Rose & Kindel reported receiving $210,000 from clients having business before the city.
