Rose & Kindel Inc., one of L.A.’s top political lobbying and consulting firms, has been acquired by the U.S. unit of London-based public affairs consultancy Huntsworth PLC.
The acquisition marks an expansion into California for Global Consulting Group Inc., the Huntsworth subsidiary whose public affairs division is headed by former Congresswoman and vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. Global Consulting already has offices in New York and Chicago.
The deal confirms a Business Journal report on Dec. 20 that Rose & Kindel was nearing an acquisition by a major international public relations firm.
Rose & Kindel was founded in 1987 by Maureen Kindel, a confidante and commissioner under then-Mayor Tom Bradley, and Cristina Rose, one of the first women lobbyists in Sacramento. The company now has about $5 million in annual billings and has 24 employees at offices in downtown L.A. and in Sacramento. Among its clientele are the developers of the Playa Vista project and the city of Beverly Hills.
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.
Under terms of the agreement announced Dec. 22, Rose & Kindel will change its name temporarily to GCC Rose Kindel before being subsumed entirely under Global Consulting Group sometime early next year. Financial details were not disclosed.
