Partial list of clients and projects

Renewable Energy

  • First Solar – Desert Sunlight solar farm: Largest solar project in the world. Approx. 4,000 acre/$2 billion project developing a 550 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm near Desert Center, Riverside County. County of Riverside project entitlements, tribal issues and other local governmental and community affairs.
  • Intersect Power – Athos I & II solar farms: Approx. 3,440 acre project developing a 450 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm near Desert Center in Riverside County. County of Riverside project entitlements including Development Agreement.
  • Intersect Power – Blythe Mesa solar farm: Approx. 1,731 acre project developing a 224 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm with 112 MW, 4-hour battery storage near Blythe in Riverside County. Re-negotiated prior Development Agreement with County of Riverside. Assisted with project entitlements with the City of Blythe, Airport Land Use Commission and County of Riverside.
  • Intersect Power – Easely solar farm: Approx. 3,800 acre project developing a 650 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm with battery storage near Desert Center in Riverside County. County of Riverside project entitlements including Development Agreement.
  • First Solar – Desert Quartzite solar farm: Approx. 4,000 acre project developing a 450 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm with battery storage near the City of Blythe in Riverside County. County of Riverside project entitlements, Airport Land Use Commission, tribal issues and other local governmental and community affairs.
  • NextEra Energy Resources – McCoy solar farm: Approx. 7,700 acre project developing a 750 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm near the City of Blythe in Riverside County. County of Riverside project entitlements, Development Agreement, Airport Land Use Commission.
  • NextEra Energy Resources – San Jacinto solar project: Approx. 150 acre project developing a 29 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm in the City of San Jacinto. City of San Jacinto project entitlements, including General Plan Amendment and Development Agreement.
  • NextEra Energy Resources – Joshua Tree solar project: Obtained entitlements for a 115 acre 29 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm in San Bernardino County, including overcoming complicated water delivery challenges.
  • Brightstar Environmental – Solid Waste Conversion: Assisted Australian-based Company with California lobbying efforts to change California laws on solid waste conversion technologies.

Solid Waste and Recycling

  • Alliance Recycling, Inc. – City of Oakland: Land use enforcement and compliance issues; California Beverage Container Recycling law compliance issues; regulatory compliance and municipal litigation.
  • Allied Defense Recycling – Mare Island/City of Vallejo: Ship breaking and recycling company. Assist with dry dock lease, government contracting, project financing and environmental permitting and compliance.
  • Association of California Recycling Industries: Former legal counsel and lobbyist on State law and regulatory matters, including issues relative to the California Integrated Waste Management Act and the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. Helped lead state-wide effort in distinguishing recyclable material from solid waste.
  • H&C Disposal – City of Hawthorne: Created regulatory allowance for direct transfers of solid waste; solid waste franchise agreement negotiations, drafting and enforcement.
  • Waste Management – Coachella Valley and California: Solid waste franchise agreement negotiations, drafting and enforcement in Cities of Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella. Legal counsel for San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Sacramento regions.
  • JTZ, Inc. – City of Oxnard: Counsel on issues relative to solid waste and recycling.
  • Burrtec Waste & Recycling – Coachella Valley Compost Facility: Assist with permitting and CEQA compliance to expand compost facility in Riverside County.

Water

  • Indio Water Authority – City of Indio: Counsel on inter-agency legal/political water disputes.
  • San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District – Inland Empire: Strategic advice in opposing LAFCO consolidation efforts.

General legal & litigation

  • Cultivation Technologies, Inc.: Chief Counsel and member of the Board of Directors, advising on general legal matters and all aspects of government entitlements, regulation and legislation.
  • Avondale Golf Club – Palm Desert: Assist club in negotiating agreement with homeowners association for HOA to subsidize golf course costs and conduct vote of residents/members to approve agreement.
  • Hadley Date Gardens: General counsel on legal matters, litigation and land use issues.
  • BG’s Eclectic – El Paseo, Palm Desert: Assist with lease and municipal issues relative to an El Paseo retail store.
  • Palm Springs Plumbing/Family Trust, Palm Springs: Assisted private land owner who acquired fee land from an allottee in dealings with City and Agua Caliente Tribal relative to land sale and eminent domain.
  • Hadley’s, Inc. – Cabazon: Assisted with business negotiations and agreements between private company and Morongo tribe.
  • Morris Desert Media/Fairway Outdoor Advertising – Coachella Valley: Assisted with legal issues and political strategy on matters in Riverside County, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella, including locating and relocating billboards and other outdoor displays.

Development, land use & ceqa

  • Walton California, LLC: Assist with project acquisition political and zoning due diligence for projects throughout California. Assist with project entitlements and other development issues post acquisition.
    • Feather Glen – Yuba County: 67 acre/328 residential lot project.
    • Golden Way – Bakersfield: 149 acre/371 residential lot project.
    • Hewitt – San Jacinto: 36 acre/185 residential lot project.
    • Highland Knolls – Bakersfield: 206 acre/442 residential lot & commercial project.
    • Las Colinas – San Jacinto: 94 acre/337 residential lot project.
    • Ross Ranch – Yuba County: 101 acre multi-phase residential project.
    • Sawyers Landing – Yuba County: 44 acre/215 residential lot project.
    • Simpson – Hemet: 98 acre residential project.
    • Tuscan Hills – Desert Hot Springs: 555 acre/resort hotel and residential project.
    • Highland Falls – Desert Hot Springs: 1,043 acre Master Planned project.
  • Hall Group – Palm Springs: Large hotel project. Assist with City interaction, negotiations and entitlements revisions.
  • The Brown Family and other Homeowners at The Reserve – Indian Wells: Successfully challenged the siting of a 70′ Verizon cell tower adjacent to estate residences that would have dramatically impacted pristine views. Cell tower was unanimous denied at both Planning Commission and City Council hearings despite staff recommendation of approval.
  • Cultivation Technologies, Inc. – Coachella: Worked with City to write cannabis ordinances and obtained entitlements for a 6 acre integrated cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, testing and distribution campus, including interim manufacturing facility.
  • The Leaf – Palm Desert: High-end retail cannabis store. Worked with City to amend ordinances to allow cannabis retail, including one location on El Paseo. Assisted with application, receiving the highest points and securing only El Paseo cannabis retail location in the City. Assisted with project permitting.
  • Cultivation Technologies, Inc. – Palm Desert: Worked with City to amend ordinances to allow for cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and distribution. Assisted with successful application and permitting.
  • Cultivation Technologies, Inc. – Colusa: Worked with City to write cannabis ordinances and obtained entitlements for temporary cannabis manufacturing and cultivation facilities; processing entitlements for 10 acre integrated cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, testing and distribution campus.
  • Starwood Vacation Ownership – Palm Desert: Westin Desert Willow Villas – Assist with extending Development Agreement with the City of Palm Desert and with issues relative to a Disposition & Development Agreement with the successor to the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency.
  • H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation – Riverside County: Assist with sphere of influence and annexation issues for approx. 650 acres of land before the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) and the Cities of Palm Desert and Cathedral City.
  • Global Investments – Espana: 160 acre residential development, City of Indio. Entitlement and permitting issues relative to the purchase of the project from a bank after foreclosure, including performance bond, local permit and tribal archeological issues. Process revised tract maps, negotiate and draft water, sewer and flood control agreements with Coachella Valley Water District on other property owner.
  • Global Investments – Encanto: 19.2 acre residential development, City of Coachella. Assisted with entitlements for 111 units plus 81 ADU’s. Entitlements included a Change of Zone and a Planned Unit Development.
  • Global Investments – Ivey Ranch: 215 acre mixed-use development in Thousand Palms, Riverside County. Entitlements and General Plan amendment to accommodate new I-10 Interchange. Project to include commercial, medium, high and very high density residential.
  • Global Investment – Monterey Ridge: 20 acre condominium development in the City of Palm Desert. Revise entitlements following purchase of the project from a bank after foreclosure to remove affordable housing covenant and replace it with solar energy requirements.
  • Global Investment – French Valley: 170 acre residential development in southwest Riverside County. General Plan amendment (Extraordinary Foundation Level Amendment) and related project entitlements.
  • RHSMAX, LLC – Cathedral City: 14 acre 120 unit Planned Unit Development in the City of Cathedral City. Project entitlements, including rezone from commercial to residential.
  • Global Investments – Point Happy – La Quinta: Approx. 50 home residential development. Land use and permitting issues following the purchase of the project from a bank after foreclosure.
  • Suncal Companies, SCC/Rancho Mirage: 80 acre residential project entitlements, Riverside County. Assisted with all levels of County review, Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) approval and mitigated opposition from neighboring jurisdictions.
  • 26 Del Sur Palms, LLC – Palms to Pines Shopping Center, Palm Desert: Legal, political and entitlement issues for a grocery store anchored shopping center.
  • Wrightwood Guest Ranch – Los Angeles County: Approx. 300 acre zip line, resort guest ranch, and snow play park near Wrightwood. Advise ownership on development, permitting and financing strategy.
  • The Huntley – Indian Wells: Assisted developer in winning bid to acquire land from City for housing project; assisted with entitlements for 18 homes and construction issues with City through build-out.
  • Whittier Ranch – Indio: Approx.130 home residential development. Assisted with the acquisition of the project in foreclosure and after acquisition with regards to entitlement and permitting issues.
  • Indio Sun, LLC – Indio Trails – Indio & Riverside County: 1,150 residential and mixed use project entitlements. Assisted with project planning, entitlements, Environmental Impact Report (EIR), Development Agreement (DA) drafting and negotiations, negotiating and obtaining a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Riverside and numerous other agencies concerning the Coachella Valley Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), annexation through LAFCO, and water & sewer related issues relative to both the Indio Water Authority & CVWD.
  • Pyramid Advisors – La Quinta Resort & PGA West master plan, La Quinta: Spearheaded master plan, project entitlements, oversight of EIR, and negotiations for a DA.
  • Coachella Valley Rescue Mission – Indio & Riverside County: New homeless shelter. Assisted in obtaining project entitlements from the City and the sale of land to the County to facilitate the project.
  • Suncal Companies – Citrus Ranch – Indio & Riverside County: 1,200 acre residential and resort (hotel and golf) project. Assisted with project entitlements, including EIR, DA drafting and negotiations, negotiating and obtaining a Memorandum of Understanding with the County and numerous other agencies concerning the MSHCP, annexation through Riverside LAFCO and water and sewer related issues relative to the Indio Water Authority, the Coachella Valley Water District and the City of Coachella sewer district.
  • Suncal Companies – Mission Creek Trails – Desert Hot Springs: 500 acre residential development. Assisted with project entitlements.
  • Suncal Companies – College Assembly – Desert Hot Springs & Riverside County: 555 acre residential development and mixed use project with a community college extension campus. Assisted with planning, MSHCP conflicts and local issues relative to college site selection.
  • Suncal Companies – Solaire – Riverside County: 622 acre/3,100 unit residential development. Assisted with approvals through the County Airport Land Use Commission.
  • Steveco – Coachella: +/-200 unit market rate apartment complex. Assisted with entitlement.
  • Lakemont Development – Fiesta de Vida – Indio & Riverside County: 660 acre residential and golf development. Assisted with project entitlements, DA drafting and negotiations, and annexation through Riverside LAFCO.
  • Indian Palms – Indio: Hotel, clubhouse, condominium, and fractional project, including golf course renovations. Spearheaded the planning, entitlements and EIR oversight after project had previously been denied.
  • Cameo Homes – Parkfield Project – Indio & Riverside County: 9 acre, 89 unit condominium project. Assisted with revising project and obtaining entitlements after project had previously been denied. Later brokered a sale of the property to the County.
  • Cameo Homes & Madison Development – Northgate Project – Indio: 88 acre mixed use development. Assisted Cameo with project entitlements and EIR for residential portion of the project. Assisted Madison with post-approval CEQA challenge issues.
  • Cameo Homes – La Quinta Project: Residential/Resort development adjacent to the La Quinta Resort. Assisted with revising project and processing entitlements.
  • Talbert Development – Shoppes of Rancho Mirage: Approx. 50,000 sq. ft. retail development. Assisted in obtaining project entitlements.
  • Talbert Development – Shoppes of La Quinta: Approx. 50,000 sq. ft. retail development. Assisted in obtaining project entitlements.
  • Urban Housing Communities, LLC – Indio, La Quinta & Palm Desert: Affordable housing developer. Assisted with various land use and entitlement issues relative to affordable housing projects.
  • Stewart Family Properties/Gemstone Properties – Cathedral City: Assisted with redevelopment agreement with Cathedral City RDA. Assisted with sale of auto dealership and associated land. Assisted with development of auto body shop and parking lot.