Advisory services for California local government
Practical counsel for the leaders who govern and run local agencies.
Bradford Public Strategies works with city councils, boards, and executive teams on governance, organizational strategy, fiscal sustainability, and intergovernmental affairs.
Services
How we help local agencies
Governance and board relations
Support for the working relationship between a governing body and its executive.
- Council and board goal-setting retreats
- Council-manager roles and protocols
- Facilitation of difficult policy discussions
Organizational assessment and strategy
An outside read on how an agency is structured and where it is headed.
- Organizational and staffing studies
- Strategic and work plans
- Department reviews and transition planning
Fiscal sustainability and economic resilience
Long-range thinking that connects the budget to the local economy.
- Long-range financial planning
- Revenue base and fiscal condition reviews
- Priority based budgeting
Intergovernmental and legislative affairs
Help advancing local priorities with regional, state, and federal partners.
- Legislative analysis and policy positions
- Engagement with state representatives
- Regional coalitions and partnerships
Plans, measures, and public engagement
Structure for community processes that need to earn public trust.
- General Plan and long-range planning processes
- Neutral public information for local measures
- Community engagement design
Executive and interim leadership
Experienced leadership for an agency in transition.
- Interim executive and department leadership
- Advisory support to new executives
- Major systems project sponsorship
Approach
Advice built for the council chamber, not the shelf.
Listen first
Conversations with elected officials, executives, and staff to understand the real question before proposing an answer.
Frame the choices
Clear options with trade-offs laid out plainly, so policymakers can decide.
Present with candor
Findings explained in public, in plain language, to boards, councils, and the community.
Leave it usable
Work products your staff can carry forward after the engagement ends.
About
Experience from inside local government
Xenia A. Bradford
Principal
Xenia Bradford has served California local government as a City Manager, a Finance Director, and in a County Executive Office. She has worked directly with city councils, boards of supervisors, and executive teams in jurisdictions with budgets from $35 million to over $1 billion.
Bradford Public Strategies is the local government practice of Bradford & Bradford Consulting. It gives agencies a senior advisor who understands both the policy side and the operating side of public service.
Contact
Let's talk about your agency
A first conversation is without obligation.
Phone