Case Studies

SAE Communications provided project management and strategic communications support to assist the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District with a highly visible, technically complex public project involving the proposed removal of Building Bridge 2 in downtown San Anselmo.

Over the course of more than a year, SAE helped the District manage communications around evolving technical, regulatory, community, and policy issues. The work required careful coordination among County staff, elected officials, advisory board members, technical consultants, the Town of San Anselmo, affected property owners, community stakeholders, and members of the public.

SAE’s work included communications strategy, issue tracking, message development, public meeting preparation, website and public-facing content, FAQs, talking points, presentation review, media response guidance, and support for explaining complex flood modeling, FEMA review, mitigation requirements, and project decision points in clearer public language.

As the project evolved, SAE helped the District communicate transparently about project constraints, community concerns, regulatory requirements, and the factors that ultimately led to the decision to cancel the proposed bridge removal. SAE also supported communications around lessons learned and the need to maintain public trust as the District moved forward with other public works and community priorities.

Services included:

• On-call strategic communications counsel

• Project communications management

• Public meeting preparation

• Message development

• FAQ and website content

• Media response guidance

• Elected official and staff talking points

• Public comment and issue tracking

• Communications support for project cancellation and lessons learned

SAE Communications supports a multi-year effort to help Port of Long Beach managers and executives communicate more effectively during Board of Harbor Commissioners meetings, public meetings, stakeholder briefings, and other high-visibility presentation settings.

The training focuses on helping Port leaders and technical experts present complex information in a clear, confident, audience-centered manner. SAE works with participants on message structure, verbal delivery, PowerPoint design and use, visual storytelling, meeting preparation, audience awareness, transitions between speakers, and management of difficult questions.

The training emphasizes practical skills that can be applied immediately in public settings, including how to open a presentation clearly, explain technical information without overloading an audience, use slides as visual support rather than scripts, anticipate concerns, and respond to challenging questions with discipline and credibility.

SAE’s coaching helps managers and executives strengthen their presentation style while maintaining authenticity and subject-matter authority. The work also supports greater consistency in how Port staff presents major projects, operational issues, and policy items to the Board and the public.

Services included:

• Executive presentation coaching

• Public meeting preparation

• Message delivery training

• PowerPoint and visual presentation guidance

• Q&A preparation and management

• Coaching for technical experts

• Board and public meeting communications strategy

• Best practices for clear, concise public agency presentations

SAE Communications is part of the CPARS Consulting team conducting an after-action review of the City of Los Angeles’ preparation for and response to the January 2025 windstorm and fires, including the Palisades Fire. SAE serves as subject-matter experts in communications, public information, and alert/warning, with Sheri Benninghoven, Scott Summerfield, and John Pope serving as key team members.

The review recognizes the importance of evaluating not only emergency operations, but also how public information, alerts, warnings, media relations, and community communications functioned during a major, fast-moving disaster. SAE’s participation reflects the firm’s extensive experience helping public agencies communicate during emergencies, public safety incidents, natural disasters, and crises of confidence.

SAE’s experience cited in development of the project team included communications counsel, media relations, and Joint Information Center management for major California crises, including atmospheric river flooding, COVID-19 response, wildfires, election security, the Conception dive boat tragedy, the Montecito debris flow, the Thomas Fire, the Gaviota coast oil spill, and multiple mass casualty incidents.

Services included:

• Communications subject-matter expertise

• Public information review

• Alert and warning communications review

• Crisis communications analysis

• Joint Information Center experience

• After-action review support

• Recommendations to strengthen future public information response

SAE Communications developed a crisis communications plan for the Alameda County Water District to help the agency prepare for high-profile incidents, emergencies, operational disruptions, media inquiries, customer concerns, and crises of confidence.

The plan provided a practical framework for how the District should communicate before, during, and after an incident. It was designed to help leadership and staff move quickly while maintaining accuracy, consistency, empathy, and coordination across departments.

The plan addressed internal roles and responsibilities, message development, approval protocols, media response, customer communications, social media, website updates, elected official coordination, stakeholder notification, and recovery-phase communications. It also included guidance for communicating during incidents that may involve water service impacts, water quality concerns, infrastructure issues, emergency response, public health questions, customer disruption, or significant public attention.

SAE’s approach focused on making the plan usable in real time, delivering a practical tool that agency leaders and communications staff used to guide decisions, organize response steps, and communicate clearly under pressure.

Services included:

• Crisis communications planning

• Emergency public information protocols

• Message development framework

• Media response guidance

• Customer and stakeholder communications

• Website and social media procedures

• Internal coordination protocols

• Recovery communications guidance

• Practical checklists and response tools

SAE Communications assisted the City of Garden Grove with community relations and public communications support in response to the GKN chemical emergency, a significant incident that affected nearby residents, businesses, and the broader community.

SAE’s work focused on helping the City communicate with empathy, clarity, and consistency while response agencies addressed the technical and operational aspects of the emergency. The communications effort required careful coordination to distinguish the City’s role from the responsibilities of fire, hazardous materials, environmental, and other lead response agencies, while still ensuring the public understood that City leaders and staff were actively supporting the affected community.

SAE helped develop resident- and business-focused communication materials addressing community concerns outside the direct incident response, including evacuation impacts, reentry considerations, city services, business disruption, public information needs, and recovery-related questions. SAE also supported talking points, website Q&A content, community messaging, and communications guidance for elected officials and City staff.

The work helped the City communicate compassion for affected residents and businesses, reinforce confidence in the overall response, and provide clear information about City actions to support the community during and after the emergency.

Services included:

• Community relations strategy

• Crisis communications counsel

• Resident and business impact messaging

• Website Q&A content

• Elected official talking points

• Public-facing message development

• Recovery-phase communications support

• Coordination guidance with lead response agencies

• Community confidence and trust-building communications

SAE has provided communications counsel, media relations, and Joint Information Center support for some of California’s most challenging crises and emergency incidents.

SAE’s experience includes major storms, fires, hazardous materials incidents, public safety emergencies, mass casualty incidents, public health emergencies, and crises of confidence. SAE helps agencies communicate quickly and accurately while showing appropriate empathy for affected residents, businesses, staff, and communities.

SAE’s work may include holding statements, media strategy, public information coordination, website content, social media language, elected official talking points, community FAQs, spokesperson preparation, and recovery-phase communications.

SAE helps public agencies plan for and evaluate emergency public information, alert/warning, and Joint Information System operations.

This work includes developing public information annexes, crisis communications plans, emergency public information procedures, message templates, training materials, and after-action review support. SAE’s experience helps agencies strengthen how they communicate with the public before, during, and after emergencies.

SAE helps public agencies structure public engagement for complicated, controversial, or sensitive issues. This work includes meeting strategy, agendas, presentation review, public comment analysis, survey design, public notice language, website updates, stakeholder outreach, and post-meeting communications.

SAE’s approach is designed to help agencies listen carefully, explain issues in understandable terms, identify themes in public input, and support decision-makers with a clear understanding of community concerns.

SAE helps public agency executives, elected officials, department heads, and technical experts prepare for high-stakes communications settings, including media interviews, board and council meetings, community presentations, press briefings, stakeholder meetings, and crisis response.

Coaching sessions are tailored to the participant and the issue at hand. SAE helps participants identify key messages, organize their comments, anticipate difficult questions, and communicate with confidence, clarity, and empathy.

Many SAE clients rely on the firm over time as a trusted strategic communications counselor. In these relationships, SAE functions as an extension of the agency’s executive and communications team, providing ongoing advice, message development, media strategy, crisis response support, public meeting preparation, writing, training, and communications planning.

This long-term model allows SAE to understand the agency’s history, leadership, community expectations, operational realities, and emerging issues – making the firm’s counsel more practical, responsive, and effective.