About the Authors
The Late Mitchell E. Abbott, a partner with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles, was an appellate practitioner for over 40 years. Mr. Abbott was a chair of the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on Appellate Courts and specialized in the representation of municipalities and other public entities at both the trial and appellate level and in both state and federal courts. He was a contributing author to California Civil Appellate Practice (3d ed Cal CEB) and California Civil Discovery Practice (2d ed Cal CEB), and a consulting editor on governmental immunities in Bancroft Whitney’s California Civil Practice. Mr. Abbott received his A.B. from the University of California, Davis, in 1972 and his J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1975. Mr. Abbott was a co-author of chapters 3, 12, and 14.
Elizabeth E. Bader is a sole practitioner with an office in San Francisco. Ms. Bader specializes in appeals, writs, and mediation. She is a Certified Specialist in Appellate Law (State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization). Ms. Bader has authored numerous articles on California law and has spoken at many MCLE programs for California attorneys. She has argued before the California Supreme Court and has represented many parties in cases of first impression under California law. Ms. Bader received her B.A. from Bard College and her J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law in 1987. Ms. Bader is the original author of chapter 16.
Patrick K. Bobko is an associate with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Mr. Bobko specializes in litigation, appellate law, and municipal law. He received his B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1991; his M.A. from the University of South Carolina in 1997; and his J.D. from George Washington University in 2000. Mr. Bobko is a co-author of chapter 14.
Rochelle Browne is a partner with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Ms. Browne specializes in trial and appellate litigation in the areas of land use, CEQA, and governmental and constitutional law. She is a past chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Land Use Section, and a former executive committee member of the Real Property Section of the LA County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Advisory Panel of the California Community Land Use Project at the Institute of Local Self-Government. Ms. Browne received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1960 and her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 1977 (Order of the Coif). Ms. Browne is the original author of chapter 4.
Kelly A. Casillas is an associate with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Ms. Casillas specializes in land use and planning, CEQA litigation, public law, and civil, municipal and public agency litigation. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1993; her M.A. in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1997; and her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 2001. Ms. Casillas is a co-author of chapters 13 and 17.
Ginetta L. Giovinco is an associate with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Ms. Giovinco specializes in litigation and municipal law. She received her B.A. from American University in 1997 and her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law in 2003. Ms. Giovinco provided assistance for chapters 13 and 17.
Beth Faber Jacobs is a Deputy Attorney General with the California Office of the Attorney General in San Diego. Ms. Jacobs specializes in writs in the area of Medical Board Licensing. Ms. Jacobs received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. Ms. Jacobs consulted extensively with CEB attorneys on chapters 1 and 17.
Sonali S. Jandial is an associate with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Ms. Jandial specializes in litigation, appellate practice, and bankruptcy. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1995; her M.A. from Columbia University in 1997; and her J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law in 2001. Ms. Jandial is a co-author of chapter 3.
Steven H. Kaufmann is a partner with the firm of Nossaman LLP in Los Angeles. Mr. Kaufmann specializes in state and municipal land use, Coastal Act and CEQA litigation, writs and appellate practice, administrative law, and coastal law. He received the California Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in 1990 and is a former member of the Los Angeles Superior Court Ad Hoc Committee on CEQA Writs of Mandate. Mr. Kaufmann received his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1971 and his J.D. from Loyola University of Los Angeles School of Law in 1974. Mr. Kaufmann is a co-author of chapters 13 and 17.
Gregory M. Kunert is a partner with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Mr. Kunert specializes in representing public agencies in litigation involving CEQA, land use, inverse condemnation, zoning, and housing; civil rights cases involving police officers; and elections law cases. He has represented clients in both state and federal courts. Mr. Kunert received his A.B. from Occidental College in 1977 and his J.D. from the University of Southern California Law Center in 1980. Mr. Kunert is the author of chapter 10.
Geoffrey L. Robinson is a partner with the firm of Perkins Coie in San Francisco. Mr. Robinson specializes in land use, development, and real estate litigation representing clients in civil and administrative proceedings involving planning and zoning laws, CEQA, development fees and exactions, and Mello-Roos Community Facilities financing. He regularly teaches courses on writs of mandamus and planning law for the University of California Extension program. Mr. Robinson is a contributing author to Handling Administrative Mandamus (Cal CEB Action Guide); Meeting Statutory Deadlines: Contractual and Financial Injury Litigation (Cal CEB Action Guide); Meeting Statutory Deadlines: Real Property and Land Use Litigation (Cal CEB Action Guide); and Curtain’s California Land Use and Planning Law. He is also a licensed California real estate broker and a reserve JAG officer. Mr. Robinson received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1978 and his J.D. (cum laude) from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, in 1983. Mr. Robinson is the author of chapters 5, 8, and 9.
Susan A. Ruff is a Deputy Attorney General with the California Office of the Attorney General in San Diego. Ms. Ruff specializes in licensing and administrative law. She is a contributing author to California Administrative Hearing Practice (2d ed Cal CEB). Ms. Ruff received her B.A. from San Diego State University in 1979 and her J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1984. Ms. Ruff is the author of chapter 6.
David M. Snow is an associate with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Mr. Snow specializes in land use, municipal law, and CEQA. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Before embarking on his legal career, Mr. Snow worked in local government, where he managed various administrative functions related to planning and community development, including land use permit application processing, CEQA compliance, and municipal code enforcement. Mr. Snow received his B.S. from Clarkson University in 1989 and his J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2001. Mr. Snow is a co-author of chapters 3 and 12.
John P. Wagner is a partner with the firm of Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliot, LLP, in Sacramento. Mr. Wagner specializes in health care, administrative, and appellate law at both the state and federal agency levels. He has written and spoken extensively, especially in the area of health care law as well as fraud and abuse. Mr. Wagner is a former Vice President of the California Academy of Attorneys for Health Care Professionals, and is a member of the California Society of Healthcare Attorneys, the American Bar Association, the California State Bar, the Wisconsin State Bar, and the Sacramento County Bar Association. He completed the American Health Lawyer Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution training program and has served as a mediator in large and small health care disputes. Mr. Wagner received his B.A. from Western State College of Colorado in 1968; his M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1971; and his J.D. (cum laude; Order of the Coif) from the University of Wisconsin School of Law in 1980. Mr. Wagner is the author of chapter 15 and a co-author of chapter 16.
Heidi R. Weisbaum is a Deputy Attorney General with the California Office of the Attorney General in San Diego. Ms. Weisbaum specializes in writ cases in the Health Quality Enforcement section of the Attorney General’s office. Ms. Weisbaum received her B.S. and R.N. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1971; her M.P.H. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1974; and her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in 1981. Ms. Weisbaum is the author of chapter 11.
About the 2023 Update Authors
Kenneth B. Bley is a partner at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, a 130-person law firm with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco that specializes in providing legal services to the real estate community. He is the firm’s senior land use lawyer, generally representing developers in planning and zoning matters before legislative and administrative bodies and state and federal trial and appellate courts (including four appearances before the California Supreme Court), and was in charge of the firm’s land use department for 20 years. He has litigated dozens of land use, CEQA, and eminent domain cases and has been involved in a number of the land use cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court as an amicus curiae in support of the landowners and in helping to prepare the lawyers who argued before the Court. Mr. Bley has been member of the BILD Foundation’s Board of Directors for over a decade. He has also been a longtime member of the Legal Action Committees of the National Association of Home Builders and the California Building Industry Association. Mr. Bley is a 1974 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, having earlier obtained B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, all in engineering. Mr. Bley taught land use and remedies at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law for 25 years and has written and lectured extensively on land use and land use and eminent domain litigation to judges, lawyers, and developers in California and throughout the United States. He is the update author of chapter 11.
Elizabeth Klebaner is a partner with Nossaman LLP in Los Angeles. Ms. Klebaner advises private and public agency clients on a variety of complex land use and environmental matters, including CEQA, National Environmental Policy Act, California Coastal Act, Williamson Act, Subdivision Map Act, planning and zoning law, and federal and state environmental regulatory compliance. She received her B.A. from Pomona College in 2003 and her J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, in 2008. She is the update author of chapter 14.
Philip D. Kohn is a partner with Rutan & Tucker LLP in Irvine. Mr. Kohn’s practice concentrates on land use regulation, planning and zoning law, environmental law, eminent domain and inverse condemnation, civil rights and constitutional law, and general municipal affairs. He has served as the City Attorney of the City of Laguna Beach since 1982 and the City of Irvine from 2006 to 2013. Mr. Kohn received his B.A. from California State University, Fullerton, in 1974; his M.Soc.Sci. from the University of Birmingham, England, in 1976; and his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, in 1979. Mr. Kohn is an update author of chapter 6.
Stephen D. Lee is an associate with the firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles. Mr. Lee specializes in public agency and municipal law litigation, CEQA, writs of mandate, and appellate law. Before joining Richards, Watson & Gershon, Mr. Lee served as the law clerk to the Honorable Luis A. Lavin and the Honorable Ann I. Jones in the Writs and Receivers Department of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Mr. Lee received his B.A. magna cum laude from Georgetown University in 2006 and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2009. Mr. Lee is an update co-author of chapter 4.
V. Thai Phan is an associate with Rutan & Tucker LLP in Irvine. Ms. Phan’s practice includes providing advice and counsel to public agencies regarding the Brown Act, conflicts of interest, and constitutional law. Ms. Phan also advises private clients on campaign finance regulations pursuant to the Political Reform Act of 1974. Her litigation experience includes general civil litigation, land use disputes, and municipal code enforcement. Her transactional work includes drafting service agreements with private contractors on behalf of local municipalities. Ms. Phan received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2011; her M.P.P. from the University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy, in 2015; and her J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, in 2015. Ms. Phan is the update author of chapters 1 and 2.
T. Peter Pierce is a shareholder in the Litigation Department at Richards, Watson & Gershon, San Francisco. Mr. Pierce is certified as a specialist in appellate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He has represented public agencies and other clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the California Court of Appeal, and various trial courts at the federal and state levels. Mr. Pierce is a contributing author to California Civil Appellate Practice (3d ed Cal CEB) and California Civil Writ Practice (4th ed Cal CEB). He received his A.B. from Cornell University in 1986, his M.S. from Syracuse University in 1987, and his J.D. from Tulane Law School in 1992. Mr. Pierce is a co-author of chapter 4.
Geoffrey L. Robinson is the update author of chapter 7 and the author of chapters 5, 8, and 9. For his bio, see “About the Authors.”
