Edward Grutzmacher
Of Counsel
As a land use entitlement attorney, Ed Grutzmacher represents public entities as well as private clients at all stages of the process, from initial application to the final administrative decision. He has handled numerous cases involving land use entitlements, as well as CEQA, NEPA, Planning and Zoning Laws, the Coastal Act, Subdivision Map Acts, Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Acts, and the Mitigation Fee Acts. Additionally, Mr. Grutzmacher has extensive experience in climate change law and policy. Beyond evaluating emerging greenhouse gas regulations, he has developed strategies to deal with the impact of California's Global Warming Solutions Act on land use entitlements. Mr. Grutzmacher also advises clients on the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana as an expert in land use regulation and environmental issues. Having a thorough understanding of the law and the written word is a crucial part of Mr. Grutzmacher's abilities. As a student at University of California, Hastings College of the Law, he earned his J.D. in 2003, his MA in English Literature from New York University in 2000, and his BA in English as well as BS in Biology from the University of California, Davis in 1998. With over 20 years of experience practicing, Mr. Grutzmacher has authored several works related to the field of land use and environmental law. Mr. Grutzmacher is an authority on CEQA, having published several works on the subject. For example, he authored the articles titled, “California Supreme Court Takes Up Medical Marijuana CEQA Case,” Western Real Estate Business, May 2017, and “California Supreme Court Clarifies What Constitutes a ‘Project’ Under CEQA,” Meyers Nave client alert 2019. Mr. Grutzmacher knowledge of land use and environmental law is often cited by publications such as Bloomberg and the Recorder.
Lindsay P. D'Andrea
Of Counsel
Using her extensive experience in public law, Lindsay D'Andrea counsels clients on a wide range of issues impacting government agencies. She currently is a member of the Municipal and Special Districts Law Practice Group, as well as the Transportation and Infrastructure Practice Group at Meyers Nave. In addition to serving as assistant city attorney for Walnut Creek, Ms. D'Andrea serves as assistant general counsel for Tri-Valley Transportation Council, Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission, South San Francisco Conference Center Authority, and Sunol Smart Carpool Lane Authority. The city of South San Francisco also utilizes her expertise as advisor and supporting counsel for the Alameda County Transportation Commission and Ventura County Transportation Commission. Ms. D'Andrea’s educational background includes a J.D. at the University of Georgia School of Law, cum laude, in 2010, as well as a BA in Political Science, magna cum laude, with honors, from the same university in 2006. Her experience includes public contracts and procurement; land acquisition, disposition, and entitlement; and the Mitigation Fee Act, Brown Act and California Environmental Quality Act, as well as the California Public Records Act. In 2014, Ms. D'Andrea joined Meyers Nave after serving as a Neighborhood Law Corps attorney for the city of Oakland. During her tenure with the city of Oakland, she was responsible for both litigation and administrative work. For the International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Conference paper in October 2015, Ms. D'Andrea authored "Exploring the History and Future of Legislative Prayer in Light of Town of Greece v. Galloway." Through her work with Meyers Nave, her expertise continues to support California's legal infrastructure and special districts.
Claire Shin Lai
Of Counsel
Claire S. Lai is Of Counsel in Meyers Nave’s Government and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group. She advises local and regional public entities on a wide range of issues, including land use, telecommunications, housing, public contracts, and open government compliance. Ms. Lai's areas of focus include real property transactions, urban housing developments, public project procurement, and utilities deployment. Ms. Lai currently serves as Assistant City Attorney for the City of South San Francisco, City of Walnut Creek, and Town of Los Altos Hills; the General Counsel for Graton Community Services District; as well as supporting and special counsel to a number of public agencies throughout California. She is a graduate of UC Law San Francisco, and previously served as in-house counsel to the City of Milpitas and County of Merced. Ms. Lai serves as update co-author to CEB’s “California Land Use Practice Guide,” and has authored articles relating to telecommunications and housing law issues for the daily Journal and other publications. She also provides trainings and presentations to notable organizations such as the League of California Cities and the American Planning Association-Northern California chapter.
Adam U. Lindgren
Principal
Adam Lindgren is the Principal in charge of Meyers Nave’s Sacramento office with over 25 years working on municipal law and complex land use development. He has served as the city attorney for the city of Rancho Cordova since 2006 and has been entrusted as Special Counsel to cities and special districts statewide. Mr. Lindgren’s diverse portfolio includes successful representation of public and private parties on complex land use permitting and issues caused by climate change, including wildfire recovery, flood control, and sea-level rise. He is a recognized authority in land use law, having co-edited and contributed to CEB and other publications in the field for his entire career. Since joining the firm in 2002, Mr. Lindgren has served as a city attorney to Northern California communities large and small, providing valuable strategic counsel on land use projects and other issues. He has also acted as land use counsel to private clients, offering his extensive knowledge on major projects and helping them navigate complex governmental and regulatory matters. Prior to his tenure at Meyers Nave, Mr. Lindgren was an associate at a San Francisco-based law firm, McCutchen Doyle. His educational background includes a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was recognized as a Public Interest Law Scholar, and a BA in Political Science from Columbia University, where he graduated cum laude. Mr. Lindgren’s professional achievements exemplify his expertise and commitment to the field of municipal law and land use. He has been one of “The Best Lawyers in America” and a Northern California “Super Lawyer.” Additionally, Mr. Lindgren's publications and presentations, including his 20 years as a CEB author and speaker, reflect his knowledge and commitment to sharing his expertise with others in the legal profession.
Timothy D. Cremin
Principal
Tim Cremin practices in all areas of environmental and land use law, including greenhouse gas regulations, climate change legislation, state and local planning, and zoning and subdivision laws, among others. In the permitting process and litigation, he represents public and private clients with over 25 years of experience. Mr. Cremin chairs a practice group for Climate Change and Green Initiatives at Meyers Nave. His group advises public entities on complying with California's Global Warming Solutions Acts, analyzing emissions of greenhouse gases under CEQA, NEPA, and other laws for regulation in emerging climate change areas. Mr. Cremin's specialty is navigating complex and controversial projects through local, state and federal land use and environmental regulations. During his tenure, he has drafted numerous entitlement agreements and ensured that project approvals were legally enforceable. As an undergraduate, Mr. Cremin earned a BA in Psychology from Stanford University in 1986 and obtained his JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 1991. His early legal career was spent as an assistant city attorney for several Southern California cities, advising on planning, zoning, environmental, real estate, subdivision, elections (initiatives and referendums), and conflicts of interest. In addition to large scale institutional and infrastructure developments, Mr. Cremin has also worked on mixed-use developments, transit-oriented developments, shopping malls, residential developments, hotels, and more. As an attorney with experience in real estate, he has contributed to due diligence for real estate acquisitions, leases, easements, and purchase and sale agreements. Mr. Cremin serves on the CEB Real Property Law Advisory Committee and the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association. Many of his articles have been published on environmental law and land use. In November 2020, North County Lawyer published an article entitled “CEQA Update: Appellate Court Rules on Preservation of Documents and Discovery Relating to Administrative Records,” and the Real Property Law Reporter, CEB, July 2020, published an article entitled “Emergency Rule Amended for Statutes of Limitations in CEQA and Land Use Cases,” both of which highlighted Mr. Cremin’s work. The Daily Journal published another article titled “Bills Leave Unresolved Cap-and-Trade Issues” highlighting his work as well.
Margaret Rosequist
Of Counsel
Margaret (Meg) Rosequist serves on Meyers Nave's First Amendment and Trial & Litigation Team. With an emphasis on complex constitutional law issues, as well as matters involving land use, zoning, the California Public Records Act, and the Brown Act, her experience spans both litigation and advisory work. Ms. Rosequist also performs administrative hearings and other proceedings before regulatory agencies, as well as trial and appellate work in state and federal courts. As an expert on the intersection of social media and First Amendment law, Ms. Rosequist is often at the forefront of nuanced issues in legal practice. Among her other areas of expertise, she has defended government entities and officials in litigation pertaining to the Coronavirus pandemic, involving lawsuits filed by churches and businesses to stop shelter-in-place orders from being issued." Ms. Rosequist’s academic credentials include a law degree from Hastings College of the Law at the University of California, Order of the Coif, Thurston Society, and American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Law and Evidence. She also has a BA in Political Economy from Colorado College. Her advisory work has consisted of a comprehensive range of regulations and ordinances to meet complex First Amendment requirements. Among Ms. Rosequist’s litigation victories is California New Business Bureau, Inc. v. County of San Bernardino (Case No. CIVDS 1616334). As a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, she assisted the County of San Bernardino in drafting a constitutionally sound commercial solicitation ordinance. These issues involve complex constitutional questions pertaining to the power of local and state governments during public health and safety emergencies." "n the pivotal case of Lamar Central Outdoor, LLC v. City of Los Angeles, Ms. Rosequist authored an amicus brief on behalf of the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, and American Planning Association California Chapter. California's billboard regulations were challenged in Lamar on constitutional grounds. As a major victory, the Second Appellate District upheld the ability of California cities and counties to continue applying onsite/offsite/commercial/noncommercial distinctions to their sign codes. Ms. Rosequist has presented numerous articles and papers on First Amendment issues at conferences sponsored by the International Municipal Lawyers Association, League of California Cities, and County Counsels' Association of California. Additionally, she wrote an article for the League of California Cities' Western City magazine analyzing Reed v. Town of Gilbert.
John Bakker
Principal
John Bakker is a city attorney and general counsel for a variety of Special Districts throughout California. His expertise covers the full spectrum of public law issues. In addition to government finance, Mr. Bakker also oversees compliance with the Political Reform Act and elections, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act, and the California Public Records Act. Since joining Meyers Nave in 2001, Mr. Bakker has advised municipal clients on these and other public law issues. Currently, his responsibilities include serving as city attorney for Dublin and Cotati, and as General Counsel for various special districts, such as the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority; Housing Authority of Monterey County; Kensington Fire Protection District; Mountain House Community Services District; Napa Sanitation District; and Tamalpais Community Services District. Additionally, Mr. Bakker serves as Bayshore Sanitary District's Assistant General Counsel. Graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Mr. Bakker obtained his law degree in 1998 and his BA in History from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995. Having spent the last 20 plus years at Meyers Nave, he has had considerable success in his field of practice. As an attorney representing the League of California Cities, Mr. Bakker claimed that Proposition 22 and Proposition 1A violations of the California Constitution were involved in the state budget's allocation of vehicle license fee revenues. He assisted Alameda and San Mateo County jurisdictions in the prosecution of a test claim at the State Mandates Commission alleging that stormwater permit obligations are unfunded state mandates. In Contra Costa County, Mr. Bakker advised two fire districts against consolidation proposals and supported the takeover of the fire service by two separate cities from special districts. He is also recognized for successfully negotiating on a municipal Wi-Fi agreement with AT&T on behalf of the city of Napa. Mr. Bakker was listed as a Super Lawyer in 2022 and recognized as “The Best Lawyers in America” between 2020 and 2024 for Land Use and Zoning Law/Municipal Law. A noted authority in his field, he wrote or was quoted on a variety of topics as an expert in his field, including "Legislature Poised to Adopt Bill Legalizing Housing on Commercial Property," July 2, 2020 in The Public Law Journal, and "Housing Law Update: Summary of California’s New Housing Laws," Fall 2019 for the California Lawyers Association.
Russell E. Morse
Senior Of Counsel
Russell Morse's practice focuses on land use entitlement matters, environmental review permitting, and real estate transactions with an emphasis on real estate development projects. He advises clients and litigates controversial matters involving local planning and zoning regulations and related CEQA issues, as well as state and federal land use and environmental laws. Mr. Morse’s specialties are land use, planning and zoning, real estate development, environmental law, cultural resources, entitlements, and real estate transaction. He handles matters involving the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); the California Coastal Act; the Subdivision Map Act; cultural resources law; and local planning, zoning, and historic preservation laws. Mr. Morse also prepares, reviews, and negotiates real estate purchase agreements and all forms of leases and licenses. Mr. Morse attended UCLA where he obtained a BA in Anthropology and Political Science. He then graduated from Law School at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he was a Hagman Land Use Scholar and Chief Note and Comment Editor of the Loyola Entertainment Law Review. Mr. Morse often speaks on legal issues affecting land use, real estate, and real estate development, including hosting a recent webinar on the Builder's Remedy. He will be speaking at the 2023 Yosemite Environmental Conference regarding California Coastal Act issues. Mr. Morse also publishes articles regarding relevant issues in land use and CEQA.
Janine M. Braxton
Senior of Counsel
Janine Braxton is a senior of counsel in the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Meyers Nave. She advises and represents employers with a wide scope of claims before state and federal courts, as well as administrative agencies. With a practice emphasis on class action wage and hour employment defense, including PAGA claims, Ms. Braxton regularly defends employers with complex employment matters. She also has extensive experience defending single plaintiff claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful termination, and other labor code violations. Ms. Braxton routinely defends employers in actions filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) (formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH)); and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). Prior to joining Meyers Nave, Ms. Braxton was a partner at a Labor and Employment defense firm in Northern California. Before transitioning to full-time employment defense, she spent several years as a workplace investigator at Van Dermyden Maddux Law Corporation, where she gained extensive experience navigating complex and often sensitive workplace complaints. Ms. Braxton earned her undergraduate degree from University of California, Davis with a major in English and minor in Philosophy. She subsequently attended Lincoln Law School of Sacramento. Ms. Braxton currently serves on the California Lawyer's Association's Labor and Employment Executive Committee and previously served as the California Young Lawyers Association Liaison to the CLA Labor and Employment Executive Committee. She also served as a board secretary for the Northern California Chapter of the National Labor and Employment Relations Association (NorCal LERA) for several years in addition to sitting on her local county bar Labor and Employment Board for several years.
Alex Mog
Of Counsel
Alex Mog is of counsel with the Government & Regulatory Affairs Practice Group at Meyers Nave. His areas of focus include real estate, housing, economic development, land use, and municipal finance. Mr. Mog is an expert on California's ever-changing housing and land use laws, and has given presentations at statewide conferences on theses critical issues. Mr. Mog frequently prepares leases, purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, easements, deed restrictions, loan documents, and affordable housing regulatory agreements for clients. He has advised on large real estate transactions critical for the client’s financial stability, and helped agencies navigate controversial development applications, ensuring his clients’ interests are protected. Mr. Mog studied political science at the University of California, Los Angeles and earned his J.D. at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. Mr. Mog represents public agencies, non-profits, and businesses. As part of his representation of public agencies, he serves as assistant city attorney for the cities of Modesto, Union City, San Leandro, and Pinole, as well as the general counsel of the Oro Loma Sanitary District and Bodega Bay Public Utility District.
Julia Lynch Bond
Principal
Julia Bond chairs Meyers Nave's Writs and Appeals Practice Group and has experience in trial and appellate litigation. With a background in complex environmental and land use litigation, she represents clients in lawsuits involving the CEQA, NEPA, state planning and zoning Law, Coastal Act, Subdivision Map Act, Mitigation Fee Act, Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, and civil rights claims in land use law. As a member of the bar in many federal courts, Ms. Bond is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court; U.S. Courts of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; U.S. Central, Southern, and Northern district courts in California; and all California state courts. Ms. Bond has represented large institutional clients in litigation involving significant infrastructure projects. Aside from the LAX expansion, she has also defended the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's challenge to expand BART from Fremont to Santa Clara; San Leandro's challenge to build a new Kaiser Hospital; and the University of California's challenge to build multiple campus expansion projects. Ms. Bond has also handled multiple CEQA proceedings for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, as well as the Port of Los Angeles. In collaboration with CEB, Ms. Bond co-authored the "Land Use Litigation" chapter of the “California Land Use Practice.” She has also been recognized in a number of categories in Super Lawyers Magazine for her leadership and authority.
Jose M. Sanchez
Principal
As Principal, Jose Sanchez is a member of the Municipal and Special District Practice Group and the Public Contracts Practice Group of Meyers Nave. Aside from serving as city attorney for Modesto, Cloverdale, and Windsor, he also provides legal counsel for special districts and public agencies. Mr. Sanchez focuses on a wide range of legal issues facing cities, special districts, and commissions. In addition to land use, environmental issues, rate setting, and public procurement, he has negotiated and drafted development agreements and related entitlements; assisted public entities with bidding requirements for public contracts; and handled complex code enforcement cases. Mr. Sanchez also serves as a member of Meyers Nave’s Diversity Committee. Mr. Sanchez received his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2005 and his BA in Political Science from the University of California, Davis in 2002. As an integral part of the firm, he has a wealth of experience in a wide range of areas, most notably land use and public contracts. Mr. Sanchez was a key player in the Rio Del Oro Specific Plan for the city of Rancho Cordova and supervised extensive plan approvals, development agreements, subdivision issues, and an Environmental Impact Report Addendum for a mixed-use project covering 3,828 acres - the largest land development project in Rancho Cordova's history. Mr. Sanchez has been honored with many awards over the years, including "Best of the Bar," Sacramento Business Journal, 2019, and "Top 40 Under 40," Sacramento Business Journal, 2016. He was also awarded the CALI Award for Excellence in Legal Research and Writing in 2016. Mr. Sanchez often speaks about matters related to the Brown Act, conflicts of interest, and the California Public Records Act as part of his areas of expertise. At the request of the Institute for Local Government and the California Special District Association, he has also participated in webinars on conflicts of interest for public officials.
Steven T. Mattas
Partner
Steve Mattas advises clients on land use entitlement issues and all aspects of government and regulatory affairs. Steve advises public agencies and private clients on land use entitlement; general plan; zoning; development agreement negotiation; and preparation issues with a particular focus on public-private partnerships, housing, and life-science projects. Steve serves as City Attorney for two cities, and also as general and special counsel for transportation agencies throughout California.
Gregory J. Newmark
Principal
As head of Meyers Nave’s Los Angeles office, Greg Newmark represents local agencies in matters related to water quality, water rights, water rates, pollution, inverse condemnation, and brownfields. Aside from reviewing environmental documents under CEQA and NEPA, he provides land use advice to public entities. With extensive litigation experience, Mr. Newmark has handled numerous complex multi-party cases. He regularly represents clients before the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Resources Control Board. Clients and staff collaborate closely during the permitting process which Mr. Newmark oversees meticulously. If necessary, he appeals administratively and litigates civil actions for waste dischargers. Over the course of his career, Mr. Newmark has handled numerous groundwater contamination cases, including regulatory cleanup orders and cost recovery actions. As a 1997 graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law, Mr. Newmark has practiced law for over 25 years. He also holds a BA in History from the University of New Mexico, as well as a minor in Biology. Prior to joining Meyers Nave, Mr. Newmark served as deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice. His responsibilities included representing natural resources agencies in trials and appellate hearings concerning air and water pollution, inverse condemnation, CEQA, exotic and endangered species, and fire suppression costs. Under his leadership, Mr. Newmark presented oral argument as deputy attorney general in the first Clean Water Act case heard by the California Supreme court. As a result of his efforts, the first Supreme Court decision in California dealing with a TMDL under the Clean Water Act and California's Porter-Cologny Act was rendered in his favor. In recognition of his achievement, the United States Department of Justice awarded Mr. Newmark a Certificate of Commendation. As well as being recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers in Environmental Litigation, Mr. Newmark is also a member of the board of directors, the Urban Water Institute, and the executive committee of the California Lawyers Association's Environmental Law Section. Most recently, he authored the article “Appellate Court Finds Certain State-Mandated Stormwater Permit Requirements Imposed on Local Governments Are Subject to Cost Reimbursement,” on January 28, 2021.
Amrit Kulkarni
Principal
As a member of the Executive Committee, Amrit Kulkarni is chair of the Practice Groups for Land Use, Environmental Law, and Transportation and Infrastructure at Meyers Nave - which are highly interconnected, as laws and regulations often overlap, inevitably resulting in clients benefiting from his diverse array of strategic insights. The majority of his practice involves high-profile, complex, and controversial transportation infrastructure, commercial, and urban development projects. Mr. Kulkarni experience extends beyond CEQA and NEPA to include the Coastal Act, Tidelands Trust, Subdivision Map Act, Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act, Mitigation Fee Act, and Clean Water Act. Aside from transactional guidance, he also offers litigation support when clients need to defend or challenge a project. Mr. Kulkarni brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as an experienced attorney with a diverse background. Prior to graduating from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in 1998, he earned his BA in Environmental Studies and Policy & Planning from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1994. As a member of the California Lawyers Association, Mr. Kulkarni also participates in its Environmental Law Section. An attorney with a long and successful career, Mr. Kulkarni is an expert in his field. In both the public and private sectors, he has over 20 years of experience handling complex legal matters. In addition to serving as a legal advisor for various environmental organizations, Mr. Kulkarni has published numerous articles on environmental law. His contributions to the field have also been recognized by the California Lawyers Association. "Mr. Kulkarni has won exceptional litigation victories under CEQA, NEPA, and other regulatory laws applicable to California projects in both trial and appellate courts. Since 2011, he has been awarded numerous awards and achievements, such as being ranked a top land use lawyer and top 20 under 40 respectively in the past decade. In 2023, Mr. Kulkarni was named one of the "Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys" by the Los Angeles Business Journal, as well as one of the Best Lawyers in America by the same publication. In the category of litigation-land use and zoning, he received recognition from 2018 to 2024. Among the most prominent, complex, and sometimes controversial commercial and urban development projects in the state and Los Angeles area, Mr. Kulkarni was noted as a "California Infrastructure Heavyweight" by the LABJ.
Amara L. Morrison
Partner
Amara Morrison is a highly experienced land use and public agency attorney with a particular focus on the myriad state housing and streamlining statutes that facilitate the construction of housing. She is also general counsel to Bay Area transportation agencies and previously served as general counsel for Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts. Ms. Morrison started her career as a municipal attorney for two East Bay cities before transitioning to private practice where she worked closely with residential, office, and commercial developers. Following her work in the private sector, she has recently joined as Partner with Redwood Public Law, where she continues to advise public agencies on land use and zoning matters Ms. Morrison was named “Woman of Influence” by Globe Street Real Estate in 2019. She was also honored as one of San Francisco Business Times’ “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” in 2020 and has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer in the practice area of Land Use and Zoning. Ms. Morrison has also been recognized as Lawyer of the Year for Land Use and Zoning Law in Oakland by Best Lawyers in America (2027 Edition).
