Â
Modernizing Environmental Act Should Be A Priority” co-authored by Jerry Sanders, President & CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Barry Schultz, Senior Counsel at Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz and former chair of San Diego Planning Commission. Published April 19, 2013, Union Tribune, San Diego.Â
Stutz Artiano Partner Bill Pate and Special Counsel Omar Passons will present Solar Power Purchase Agreements: The “Almost” Free Lunch at the American Public Works Association (APWA) Sustainability in Public Works Conference May 13 – 15 in San Diego. For conference program and registration see http://www.apwa.net/sustainability
Congratulations to Stutz Artiano Legal Secretary Linda Moore, elected president of the San Diego Legal Secretaries Association (SDLSA) at the group’s March meeting. This is Linda’s sixth year on the board. She has also been a statewide chairman for the past three years representing all the members in the state of California.
Installation of the new board is set for April 22nd at the Westgate Hotel, San Diego. The event will also recognize the outgoing Board which includes Ann Posthill of Stutz Artiano as Treasurer. Ann has served on the board six out of the last seven years in the positions of treasurer, secretary, and  director.
The SDLSA association is the largest in the state of California with more than 250 members and is comprised of professionals in the legal field including secretaries, paralegals, attorneys, service providers, law clerks, and students.
Additional 2013-2014 officers elected include Linda Gubba-Reiner of Sullivan, Hill, Lewin, Rez & Engel as vice president; Becky Neidhardt of Latham & Watkins as secretary; Cynthia Halvax of Neil, Dymott, Frank, McFall & Trexler APLC as treasurer; Leanna Pierce of Stokes, Roberts & Wagner ALC as immediate past president; and Annie Parrish of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman P.C. as governor. Barb Bretherton of Network Depositions; Judy Johns of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP; Heather Schaefli of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP; and Lynda West of Office Assistance 4 U were elected to the board of directors.
Partner Daniel Shinoff presents “Pitfalls and Perils to Watch For As Board Members and Superintendants” for the Small School Districts’ Association 30th Anniversary Annual Conference. The one hour workshop will be held on April 11th at 2:50 p.m. at the McClellan Conference Center in Sacramento. Government ethics, conflicts of interest, open meeting laws, public records and disclosures will be among the topics addressed.
Stutz Artiano will again participate as an Exhibiting Sponsor at the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) Statewide Annual Conference and School Business Expo April 3-5 at the Long Beach Convention Center. This is the premier event for school board officials and includes professional development workshops and more than 200 Exhibitors. Stop by Stutz Artiano’s booth #522 and meet our education attorneys.
Stutz Artiano is pleased to announce that Kaley A. Lichtman has joined the firm’s Education Practice Group in San Diego. She will focus on employment, public entity advisory and litigation. Ms. Lichtman is a 2012 graduate of Southwestern Law School
A unanimous defense verdict was rendered on January 22, 2013, in Josephine Harper-Thornton v. Poway Unified School District No. 37-2011-00087193-CU-WT-CT (Superior Court, Judge John S. Meyer). Congratulations to Partner Daniel Shinoff, Associate Jeanne Blumenfeld and the Stutz litigation team for successfully defending the District against claims of Disability Discrimination, Hostile Work Environment/Harassment, Failure To Accommodate, and Failure To Engage In The Interactive Process (Gov. Code §12940 et seq.); and Intentional Infliction Of Emotional Distress.
Ljubisa Kostic rejoins Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz as a partner. His practice will continue to focus on a wide variety of civil litigation, including personal injury and business law.  Mr. Kostic, a graduate of California Western School of Law admitted to practice in 2001,  represents clients before all state and federal courts in California and Nevada.  Also joining the firm’s San Diego office is Associate David N. Israel who will concentrate on education law and civil litigation.  Mr. Israel  obtained his M.B.A. from University of San Diego and his law degree from Univesity of San Diego School of Law.
City of Murietta joins numerous cities that have filed suit against the California Department of Finance over the state’s redevelopment dissolution process.
Representing City of Murrietta are Partner Jeffery A. Morris, head of Stutz Artiano’s Municipal Litigation Group, and Senior Counsel Barry Schultz who serves as Advisory Counsel to oversight boards of redevelopment successor agencies in the Southern California region.
For the full story on the most recent challenge to the California Department of Finance by City of Murrieta, see http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/07/murrieta-city-challenges-state-disputed-redevelopm/
To receive further information on the progress of this suit and its implication for cities, please contact Mr. Morris at jmorris@stutzartiano.com.
Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz is pleased to announce its 30th year in business. The law firm, headquartered in Liberty Station since 2006, first opened in downtown San Diego on January 15, 1982. The firm has grown from a three-lawyer operation to forty-one lawyers, and has become one of San Diego’s largest “home grown” law firms. Stutz Artiano has expanded to represent clients throughout Southern California with additional offices in Orange County and the Inland Empire, as well as Las Vegas, Nevada.
The firm was founded to provide a wide range of legal services to private and public companies as well as public entities. Stutz Artiano has expanded on that successful foundation to offer full service lawyer teams advising in Litigation, Public Schools and Community College Education, Employment, General Counsel/Municipal Law, Public Entity, Land Use and Regulation, Construction and Bonding, as well as Campaign, Election, and Ethics. By 2001, Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz was named in the national magazine, Corporate Board Member, as one of the top five law firms in San Diego. Lawyers in the firm have won numerous awards of distinction including “Dan Broderick Award,” “Super Lawyer,” “Most Influential Business Women,” “Best Young Lawyers,” and “Inland Empire Best Attorneys.” For link to full story see: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/stutz-artiano-shinoff-holtz-announces-30th-year-anniversary-1608955.htm
