Niccolo De Luca

Recreation and Natural Resources:

• Niccolo led TPA efforts to secure $33.1 million in critically needed park funding for cities and nonprofits in the Bay Area, Central Valley, and Southern California. These efforts included working on the funding guidelines, drafting the applications, lobbying for the applications, and working hand in hand with the funding agency. Niccolo was the team lead and instrumental in the many victories of our clients.

Transportation:

• Niccolo led the legislative and funding win on behalf of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority to secure $375 million for the Salesforce Transit Center. This was through the implementation of Regional Measure 3 (RM3) by authorizing an increase in the amount of the tolls for state-owned toll bridges as a means to generate the regional revenue required to fund projects that address the severe traffic congestion problems in the Bay Area. Niccolo was an extremely active participant in the advocacy strategy and efforts for Senate Bill 595 as early as 2016 because RM3 was a key priority for the Salesforce Transit Center.

Local Governance and Cannabis:

• Niccolo was a major part of the coalition to help pass the state’s first ever medicinal cannabis regulatory framework legislation. A comprehensive, thorough approach to statewide medicinal cannabis guidelines has been needed for several years. Niccolo served as an instrumental member of the statewide coalition that supported the views of both local government and the industry. Niccolo actively drafted language and advocated with legislators and staff to ensure statewide regulations would be in the best interest of cities. Due to these efforts, Niccolo has been recognized as a policy expert on cannabis policy and has testified before numerous legislative committees on issues related to the statewide implementation of cannabis regulations.
• This was a major effort led by Niccolo and culminating in Governor Brown signing landmark legislation that gives cities a new tool to generate revenue while also helping small businesses. Assembly Bill 2020 (Quirk) authorized the Bureau of Cannabis Control to issue a temporary state license to provide on-site sales and consumption of cannabis at a temporary event located at a venue expressly approved by a local jurisdiction.  This bill seeks to provide cities an opportunity to support local, small businesses.  By adjusting the law to allow local jurisdictions to issue permits for any venue they approve, more communities will have the chance to take advantage of this new economic opportunity.  Previously, these events were narrowly allowed and without local approvals.  Niccolo was the lead working with Assembly Member Quirk’s office and provided expert testimony in four committee hearings, helped navigate this bill through six policy committee hearings, three floor votes, secured bi-partisan support, 2/3rds support in both houses, and ultimately negotiated the final language with the Governor’s office.

Public Safety:

• Niccolo worked closely with the City of Oakland to secure four grants in the combined amount of $18.9 million from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program. Niccolo developed the applications and shepherded them through the grant process, including leveraging relationships with the US Department of Justice and COPS staff, which resulted in critical federal funding for the City to hire additional police officers.
• Niccolo, in recognizing the need for additional tools to protect public and private infrastructure from natural disasters such as earthquakes, championed legislation to allow cities to create a special assessment district to provide low-cost earthquake retrofit loans in areas with vulnerable housing stock. In addition, Niccolo worked with the City of Oakland and the City of Los Angeles to create the first ever state loan program for seismic retrofits of multi-unit buildings.

Housing and Economic Development:

• Niccolo was a major part of the coalition to help pass groundbreaking legislation that kept a major East Bay employer from leaving the state while creating new jobs and building affordable housing. Assembly Bill 734 (Bonta) California Environmental Quality Act: Oakland Sports and Mixed-Use Project established special procedures for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, additional conditions for certification, and expedited judicial review for a proposed baseball park and mixed-use development in the City of Oakland at the Howard Terminal site. Niccolo’s efforts included, but were not limited to, working closely with multiple policy committee staffers, meeting with the offices of Senate and Assembly Members, working with the Construction and Building Trades to support the bill, working with East Bay legislative leaders and other associations to support the bill, and other efforts.

Cultural and Historical Resources:

• Niccolo has been the lead for TPA to help secure over $30.9 million from the Proposition 40 California Cultural and Historical Endowment funding opportunity which provides funds to public agencies and nonprofit organizations to share the many stories and narrative events that embrace California’s culture and history. TPA helped develop, and advocated for the adoption of, the implementing legislation for this cultural and historical funding. TPA worked with our clients to develop and submit competitive applications for all four rounds of funding, securing 24 percent of the total funds. TPA was the most successful advocacy firm in securing funding; grant recipients include the Oakland School of the Arts, the Oakland Museum of California, the Oakland Zoo, the Bowers Museum, the City of Merced, the City of Fullerton, the Discovery Cube of Orange County, the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, the Chabot Space and Science Center, the Museum of Latin American Art, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, the Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos, and many others.