Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority (ACTIA)
The Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority (ACTIA) administers the Measure B half-cent transportation sales tax in Alameda County. The challenge is accountability to the taxpayer. KYS, the media component of a public relations team, helps ACTIA maintain accountability to the public.
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Alterra Bioenergy
Alterra produced an innovative product — Alterra DieselMaxx™, a diesel fuel additive with green properties – that allows truckers to go green “one tank at a time.”  KYS provided message development, marketing support and conducted extensive research on the trucking industry, helping to open doors for Alterra.
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City of Oakland, Office of the Mayor
In 2006, KYS provided strategic communications consultation to then (former) Congressman Ron Dellums in his bid to become Mayor of Oakland. After he was elected, Stevenson joined the Mayor’s staff on an interim basis to launch his communications office.
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Annie E. Casey Foundation
Making Connections is a ten-year (2000-2009) investment by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to improve the quality of life for families and children in low-income neighborhoods. KYS was the communications liaison for MCO in the Lower San Antonio district of Oakland, California.  We produced a suite of communication materials and documented increased media coverage of this neighborhood.
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Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute
Principal For A Day, is an annual event where volunteers from the public and business sector partner with principals in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Participation had stagnated over the years. With a six-week lead time, KYS secured participation by A-list businesses, updated the program, the graphics and doubled attendance.
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Young Journalists Scholarship Luncheon
KYS wanted to honor News Anchor Barbara Rodgers’ 25th anniversary at CBS5 (KPIX-TV), as she was a “first generation” African American reporter at a television station. KYS created a successful legacy event. There was buzz about the luncheon for months. The luncheon raised $6,000 the first year, and an additional $20,000 over the last five years, for college scholarships.
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California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA)
The California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA), a statewide network of county agencies that provide in-home support services, faced deep budget cuts from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget in January 2004. KYS created a popular “campaign” button stating, “There’s No Place Like Home,” provided spokesperson training, and coordinated ten town hall meetings averaging 100 participants across the state.
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Tree Lighting Vigil
In 2003 after winning a recall election, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed swift budget cuts choosing the state’s developmental disability budget as the first to get the ax. Unbeknownst to the governor, KYS had been working with the Coalition of Californians for Olmstead (COCO) for 2 1/2 years to develop capacity among people with disabilities to effectively raise their voices in the media. Within two weeks, Governor Schwarzenegger, overwhelmed by a firestorm of media coverage, reversed his decision and restored $274 million in budget cuts to families with developmental disabilities. This “campaign” began with two hundred people protesting at the annual lighting of the official state Christmas Tree in Sacramento.
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FCC Media Ownership Rules
In 2003, in an increasing climate of deregulation, Michael Powell, son of Colin Powell and Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announced a plan to relax ownership rules for media companies to allow more media consolidation. The FCC decided to hold five public hearings across the nation to get citizen feedback. KYS was hired to help coordinate the event and manage media relations. The San Francisco event attracted more media coverage than all other FCC public hearings combined.
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Coalition of Californians for Olmstead (COCO)
In 1999, the Supreme Court, in a case titled Olmstead v. L.C., ruled that unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities in institutions is a form of discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). KYS developed and implemented the “Olmstead Public Education Campaign” (2001-2004) including coordination of media relations, policy advocacy and graphic design.
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Town Criers Photovoice Project
Alameda County declared an epidemic for HIV/AIDS yet for several years nothing changed. The virus was now impacting the African American community in a very big way, but the media was not reporting this story. KYS brought attention to the epidemic using Photovoice. Town Criers received more media coverage than any other Photovoice project in the history of Photovoice.
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