Fiona J. Hutton President

Blending a unique background in corporate, agency, government and political circles, Fiona Hutton has more than 15 years experience in corporate communications and public affairs, including strategic communications planning, media relations, issues management, coalition-building, government affairs and investor relations. During her years in California's highly competitive and ever evolving landscape, Ms. Hutton has developed a specialty in managing public perceptions during high profile and controversial, regulatory, legislative and crisis management situations. Ms. Hutton is an accomplished and sought after public spokesperson for clients in statewide, national and international media outlets.

In Fall 2001, Ms. Hutton established Red Gate Communications, Inc. The independent, non-partisan public relations/affairs firm represents a broad spectrum of corporate, non-profit, government, trade association and political clients while maintaining special and significant niches in water, land-use, environmental and healthcare issues. Clients have included the Nature Conservancy, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Association of California Water Agencies.

Previously, Ms. Hutton served as vice president of corporate communications for Cadiz Inc., a publicly traded international company specializing in water resource and land management. Ms. Hutton directed all media relations, investor relations, government affairs and community relations.

Understanding the fundamentals of client service and strategic planning, Ms. Hutton also served as a senior manager at one of California's largest independent public affairs and public relations firms, Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger, developing and managing communications, positioning and public affairs strategies for a diverse portfolio of corporate, public agency, non-profit and political clients, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Southern California Edison and the Walt Disney Company.

Ms. Hutton boasts an impressive background in government affairs and issue-based political campaigns, and maintains an extensive national, statewide and regional political network. Most recently, Ms. Hutton provided strategic guidance and media relations counsel for Missouri’s Amendment 2, arguably one of the nation’s most watched and highly anticipated ballot measure campaigns, which protected stem cell research in that state. Ms. Hutton also managed all communications and outreach for Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, a $3 billion bond measure which was overwhelmingly approved by California voters in 2004. In addition, Ms. Hutton directed the communications and coalition-building efforts for Proposition 84 (2006), Proposition 50 (2002), served on the finance committee for Proposition 40 (2002) and on the executive committees of both Proposition 12 and 13 (2000), five successful statewide ballot measures that provided critically needed funding for California's water resources, water infrastructure and parks/ environment. Ms. Hutton also played an instrumental role in coordinating all aspects of California Governor Pete Wilson's statewide and national political agenda, including his 1994 gubernatorial reelection, 1995 Inauguration and 1995 presidential campaign.

Ms. Hutton serves on the Board of Directors for the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the National Women's Political Caucus, and provides pro bono services to a number of personal causes. She received her bachelor of arts in political science from San Diego State University.

An award-winning former journalist with an insider’s understanding of the media, Ms. Mecoy offers clients strategic counsel on how to get reporters’ attention, communicate in a crisis, avoid negative coverage and explain complex subjects.

She has more than 20 years of experience in the field, having worked in Sacramento, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. for The Sacramento Bee and McClatchy Newspapers.

In her last news reporting assignment, she established a strong presence in Southern California as The Bee’s Los Angeles Bureau Chief. She led the newspaper’s coverage of politics, public policy and major breaking news from Southern California. She has written about complex subjects, including liquefied natural gas, transportation, health care and education.

Prior to coming to Los Angeles, she wrote extensively about the California Legislature, the governor and statewide politics as a member of The Bee’s Capitol Bureau, the largest in the state. She also covered Congress, the Supreme Court and the Bush and Clinton administrations as a member of McClatchy Newspapers’ Washington Bureau.

Ms. Mecoy’s reputation as leader on these stories and others led to her being sought as an expert commentator for the “Today” Show, CNN, Court TV, NPR and other broadcast outlets. It also led to Los Angeles Magazine, California Journal, the Journal of Commerce, Money Magazine and other publications contracting for her writing.

Her experience gives her a rare insight into the forces, organizations and people shaping public policy in Sacramento, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. She’s proven her ability to influence those policies through the series of stories she’s written on the state’s drug treatment and mental health programs. Both led to changes in those programs, and each won recognition from journalistic organizations for the impact they had.

Ms. Mecoy has been on the front lines as the Internet has changed the way the media does its business. So she knows how to capitalize on the “new media.”

Ann Newton specializes in coalition-building and community outreach strategies, successfully deploying and implementing them for corporate, non-profit and political clients.  Ms. Newton has managed outreach - both advocacy and public education - efforts for a broad spectrum of constituency groups, from health care to environmental interests and maintains an in-depth knowledge pertaining to a variety of issues.

Ms. Newton’s expertise includes the ability to successfully manage and implement an outreach or coalition-building program from the initial planning stages through the end.  Having managed several outreach programs, working with statewide, regional and local organizations from all constituencies, Ms. Newton knows how to effectively achieve the goals of an advocacy or public education program. Her thorough understanding of the issues and the organizations involved has been critical to clients’ success.

Ms. Newton services the health care arena and has worked extensively on major stem cell research initiatives/efforts throughout the nation.  Ms. Newton helped establish two of the nation’s largest coalitions in support of stem cell research, the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures and the Kansas Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. Her coalition-building and outreach expertise played a crucial role in last year’s passage of Missouri’s Amendment 2, the Stem Cell Research & Cures Initiative.  Ms. Newton continues to maintain relationships within the health care, medical, disease and patient advocacy communities, engaging key players on a multitude of statewide policy issues. 

In 2007, Ms. Newton played a key role in a $6 million statewide public education program for the Association of California Water Agencies, working with the outreach team to effectively communicate the program’s message to organizations throughout the state. Working with organizations from the statewide to grassroots level, the public education program successfully raised awareness of the pressing issues facing our state’s water supply. In addition, Ms. Newton led the development of the program’s key communications tools, including all collateral documents, Internet communications and its web site and brochure.

Active in statewide politics, Ms. Newton has assisted in the implementation of statewide ballot measure campaigns in California, from signature qualification through final Election Day activities.  Ms. Newton helped manage the coalition-building and outreach efforts for California’s Proposition 84, the Clean Water & Coastal Protection Bond, a $5.4 billion bond measure passed by voters in 2006.  On an extremely crowded ballot, Ms. Newton helped build the largest coalition of any ballot measure on the November 2006 statewide ballot. 

Ms. Newton works extensively on statewide natural resource policy issues. Helping manage communications and outreach for water agencies up and down the state, Ms. Newton plays a critical role in the ongoing and divisive statewide water policy issues that are taking place in California today.  Ms. Newton also maintains in-depth knowledge of web site maintenance and development, having managed web sites and web communications for multiple clients. Ms. Newton has been with RGC since 2005.

A member of the RGC team since 2006, David Graham-Caso specializes in implementing media relations programs for the firm’s clients.  With a thorough understanding of California’s complex media climate, Mr. Graham-Caso provides critical services for clients with challenging communications needs and objectives. 

Mr. Graham-Caso helps manage media relations efforts on a wide spectrum of statewide and regional issues, including land use and natural gas entitlements, as well as water and environmental issues.  He also has extensive experience working with non-profit clients, previously working with Front Porch, the largest non-profit developer of active-adult communities in California as well as the non-profit fundraising organization for the Los Angeles Zoo, The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. 

Mr. Graham-Caso helps manage the compilation and distribution of media coverage of targeted issues, the preparation of news releases, coordination of editorial board visits, dissemination of information to targeted media outlets and the planning and execution of press events.

While at RGC, Mr. Graham-Caso has gained valuable experience managing media relations and outreach within land use and entitlement processes, helping secure victories on major housing developments.

Recently, Mr. Graham-Caso has assisted with media relations efforts for an Association of California Water Agencies public education campaign, helping to place opinion editorials in newspapers throughout California.  Since 2006, Mr. Graham-Caso has worked closely with the City of Santa Clarita, playing a crucial role in the planning and execution of a major public outreach and communications campaign. 

In 2006, Mr. Graham-Caso played a critical role in the media relations effort on the successful Proposition 84 campaign, a $5.4 billion bond measure passed by voters in 2006. 

During his college years, Mr. Graham-Caso served as a staff writer and columnist for the UCLA Daily Bruin.  He has also previously worked as a voter contact representative for then-Assembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson.  Mr. Graham-Caso graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in Political Science.

As an Account Coordinator, Kymberly Belzer provides administrative and client support for RGC.  Since joining RGC in mid-2007, Ms. Belzer has worked on projects involving both health care and California’s water issues. 

Ms. Belzer works with the California Association of Health Plans (CAHP), providing administrative services, monitoring daily news coverage and performing detailed research on an ongoing basis.  Her attention to detail and ability to organize and coordinate a fast-moving team is essential to RGC’s work with CAHP.

In addition, Ms. Belzer has served as an Outreach Coordinator for the Association of California Water Agencies’ $6 million statewide public education program, launched to educate Californians about critical challenges now confronting the state’s water supply and delivery system. Ms. Belzer has played a critical role in implementing the program’s aggressive outreach plan, working with organizations throughout the state to raise awareness of the state’s water crisis. 

Ms. Belzer previously served as a Recruitment, Marketing and Communications Director in the non-profit sector, and worked as a Public Relations Specialist, as well.  She graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with a B.A. in Organizational Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.  While at CSU Stanislaus, Ms. Belzer served as a staff writer for the Communications Department Newsletter, in addition to serving as an officer for the university’s Public Relations Student Society of America. 

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