L.A. COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT CHANGES PR FIRMS.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Community College District Wednesday approved a $240,000 annual contract - which could rise to $395,000 - with Los Angeles public relations firm MWW Group.

MWW Group, the country's 11th largest PR firm headed by veteran political consultant Harvey Englander, is expected to focus its efforts on specific projects to educate the public on progress made on the $2.2 billion Proposition A/AA bond construction projects.

``It's being measured in terms of objectives, not billable hours,'' said Darroch ``Rocky'' Young, senior vice chancellor for the district. ``They know if they don't measure up to the outcomes defined, there won't be a second year of that contract.''

But the district also will allow the nine individual colleges in the district to spend bond money to publicize specific projects on the individual campuses, up to a districtwide total of $395,000, the same amount the district has spent for the past several years.

By law, the LACCD is required to keep the public informed of progress on the Proposition A and AA bond construction program. For the past four years, it hired troubled public relations giant Fleishman-Hillard for $395,000 a year, using bond funds in the last year.

Blair Sillers, assistant to the LACCD chancellor, said the colleges weren't happy with the way bond publicity was handled last year, and wanted more autonomy. The colleges can opt to use MWW, or hire their own firms.

Unlike the colleges, board members have said they were pleased with the work Fleishman-Hillard did for the district, but MWW conducted a countywide survey of 400 residents that found 67 percent were unaware of the Proposition A/AA building program.

The district spends less than $250,000 a year for one in-house public relations official and an assistant, and full-time, on-site PR officials at three of the nine community colleges and a part-time person at a fourth. Under Proposition 39, the district cannot use bond money to pay employees to do public relations, Sillers said.

Board member Michael D. Waxman, who is chairman of the board's public relations committee, worked for Fleishman-Hillard for about 10 months in 1997, dealing with the accounts of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Southern California Water Company and Pacific Bell Mobile Services. He was elected to the board in 2001, when the LACCD had already hired Fleishman-Hillard.

The board also has successfully completed acquiring its headquarters at 770 Wilshire Blvd. through eminent domain, although a final price on the building has yet to be determined by the judge, Sillers said.

The district has rented 770 Wilshire since 1993, and had been paying about $1 million a year. It originally offered to pay $17.5 million for the property but the owners, 300 Prospect Properties, countered with an offer of $20 million last May.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com