LOS ANGELES, June 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Former Washington and Sacramento lobbyist Tyrone D. Bland has joined Englander, Knabe & Allen (EKA) as a Senior Vice President in charge of water and infrastructure.
Mr. Bland is a Los Angeles native and attended the University of California at Berkeley and UCLA School of Public Policy. Bland recently served as the Managing Partner at Porter Tellus, LLC where his focus areas included; energy and commerce, financial tax, trade, transportation and environmental resources. For nearly a decade Bland provided strategic legislative and regulatory counsel to major corporations, non-profit organizations and a wide range of trade associations.
Throughout his career, Mr. Bland has represented municipalities and corporate interests before the United States Congress, the California State Legislature and local governments throughout America. Mr. Bland has been a featured political and policy commentator on numerous on FOX News, KFI Talk Radio, MSNBC, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.
As an expert in California water supply, riparian rights, and system reliability matters, Mr. Bland provided strategic advice and counsel to Central and West Basin Municipal Water Districts on their $2.6 million dollar (local funding) utility line relocation program as well as directing the legislative effort by the Long Beach Water Department to secure $3.6 million dollars in Federal funding for the expansion of their reclaimed water system and nanotechnology treatment pilot project.
With more than 20 years of political and policy expertise at the Federal, State and local level, Mr. Bland has also served as; Senior Vice President for the Washington D.C lobbying firm, Capitol Hill Consulting Group where he represented Fortune 500 Corporations; Toyota, Verizon Wireless and Diebold Election Systems.
Mr. Bland also has extensive local and state government experience. While serving as a Senior Legislative Representative for the City of Los Angeles, Sacramento Office, he coordinated state legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts for matters relating to water reliability, quality, infrastructure development and land-use planning. Prior to his post with the City of Los Angeles, Mr. Bland worked as Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department where he served as the department's national media spokesperson and Senior Federal Lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
His political and public policy experience also includes two terms as Chief of Staff to California State Assemblyman Carl Washington, Western Regional Director of Government Affairs for Amtrak (NRPC) and Senior Policy Advisor to former United States Congressman Walter Tucker (D-CA).
According to EKA Managing Partner Harvey Englander, "Ty brings a robust set of lobbying skills to our practice at EKA and a unique understanding of water issues and infrastructure." His experience adds immediate value to our existing client base and adds additional depth and reach to our new business development efforts."
"I am excited to join the team at EKA. They are 'results driven' and operate the business with one thing in mind -- the interest of their clients," said Bland. As a Senior Vice President at EKA, Mr. Bland will focus on existing client service, new business development, regional water supply and quality issues, energy, local land use and financial services issues throughout the Southern California region.
About Englander Knabe & Allen
Englander Knabe & Allen is a strategic communications firm specializing in Lobbying, Public Affairs and Issues and Crisis Communications and Litigation Support. The Los Angeles Business Journal consistently ranks EKA as among the largest Los Angeles Based Independent Public Relations Agency. For more information visit www.ekapr.com