• Solid Waste Regulations and Contracts. Drafting and implementation of numerous ordinances and agreements for municipal compliance with latest State mandates related to solid waste, recycling and organics recovery. Represent several cities in solid waste matters, including negotiating and drafting contracts for waste hauling franchises, development and planning of solid waste facilities, guidance upon waste hauler bidding and RFP processes, and litigation relating to such issues.
• Land-Use / CEQA. Regular transactional and litigation oversight of environmental impact reports and other environmental reviews required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Includes client-favorable settlement of CEQA and eminent domain litigation relating to Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
• Elections and Revenue Measures. Successfully drafted and navigated multiple special and general local revenue measures through the ballot process.
• Wireless Telecommunications Special Practice. Complex zoning matters relating to the specialty practice of Wireless Telecommunications Facilities, federal preemption and local zoning, including advising municipalities on many specific wireless applications, as well as ordinance drafting and general legislative guidance.
• Senior and Affordable Housing. City representation and negotiation of several affordable housing projects, including senior-restricted projects, tax credit financing, local grant funds, private lending and equity.
• Economic Development; Tax Sharing. Represented multiple public agencies in the negotiation and approval of multi-million dollar, long-term tax sharing arrangements, including agreements between different public jurisdictions and governmental arrangements with private corporations.
• Economic Development; Commercial Projects. Represented several cities in negotiation and approval of large commercial, retail and auto dealership projects.
• Tax Credit Financing Developments. Represented a redevelopment agency in connection with the substantial rehabilitation of a large affordable rental housing project involving tax credit financing.
• Housing Rehabilitation. Represented a housing authority in connection with a senior citizen affordable apartment project that involved both unit rehabilitation and new construction.
• Development Litigation. Represented city and redevelopment agency in “disgruntled developer” litigation involving a breach of an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement.
• Title-Related Litigation. Successfully represented city in breach of contract litigation involving an attempted fraudulent conveyance of title to the city.
• Specialized Revenue Measures. Developed a local “mining tax” with the potential to generate upwards of $1 million per year for municipality. This included guiding the new tax through the election process and ultimately prevailing in multiple litigation challenges to the validity of the tax.
• RDA Dissolution Practice. Successfully represented city against the State Department of Finance in the course of redevelopment dissolution, resulting in the former redevelopment agency’s $29 million bond issuance being upheld as an “enforceable obligation.”
• Brownfield / Former Landfill Litigation; Bonds. Supervisory counsel on litigation relating to $90 Million bond issuance for remediation of former landfill in light of State laws dissolving redevelopment agencies.
