• Land Use/Zoning
• CEQA
• Public Agency Law
• Environmental Law
• Housing
• Administrative Law and Government Relations
• Election Law
• Public Finance
• Telecommunications Regulation

BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Mark Steres is a shareholder of the Firm with over twenty years of experience in representing public and private clients in land use, planning, environmental and development matters. Mr. Steres' clients include private developers, cities, housing authorities, redevelopment agencies and special districts. He has extensive experience in processing to approval -- for both public and private clients -- land use entitlements, subdivisions and CEQA review and compliance. Mr. Steres is the City Attorney of the Cities of La Canada Flintridge and Cerritos and is Assistant City Attorney for the City of San Dimas, as well as representing the Los Angeles County Housing Authority and the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission as Special Counsel.

Mr. Steres' primary emphasis has been in representing public agency and private sector clients in a general counsel role, with specific expertise in land use and planning, Subdivision Map Act, CEQA, affordable housing, cable and telecommunications, public contracts and franchises, Brown Act, conflicts of interest, fiscal issues, and elections.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Mr. Steres is an active member of the League of California Cities, the Housing and Development Law Institute, and City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County (President 2003). He is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (State and Local Government Law Section) and the State Bar of California (Litigation and Real Property sections) where he is currently Vice-Chair of the Zoning and Land Use Committee.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Mr. Steres' recent speaking engagements include being a panelist at the March 2006 Chapter meeting of SCAN NATOA (States of California and Nevada Chapter of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors) discussing the impact of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Sprint PCS v. City of La Canada Flintridge, including the aesthetic concerns; the 2004 Mayors and Council Members Executive Forum where he discussed hillside development and control over public right-of-way; the 2003 Mayors and Council Members Advanced Academy addressing City/School District Collaboration; a 1996 Contract Cities Conference for city council members regarding the Brown Act and Conflict-of-Interest issues; a 1997 National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Conference regarding revitalizing distressed multi-family housing; a 1997 Council of Large Public Housing Authorities Conference regarding safety and security in housing; and a 1999 HUD Community Policing Conference co-sponsored by the Los Angeles County Housing Authority regarding crime and violence in public housing: legal approaches.

AUTHORSHIPS
Mr. Steres was a contributing author for the League of California Cities' Proposition 218 Implementation Guide (published January 1997), a contributing author and editor to the League's publication entitled California Municipal Law Handbook, and the author of Contracting Tips -- Contracting for Services for the 1997 and 1998 League of California Cities publication Directory of Municipal Service Providers.

PUBLISHED CASES
Mr. Steres' published cases include the following: