Practicing Attorneys

Experience, Commitment, Results

Contact: wross@lawross.com

Practice Areas

Municipal and Special District Law including active work with Joint Power Authorities, Fire Districts, and Water Districts 

CEQA and Environmental Law

Local Agency Formation Commission (“LAFCo”)

Zoning, planning, and land use

Ralph M. Brown Act & Open government compliance

Elections Law

Public bidding and contracting requirements

Code enforcement

Ordinances, resolutions, and staff reports

Contract and real estate negotiations

Employee relations, employee benefits, and labor law

of organization

State and federal regulatory compliance

Adopting special taxes, special assessments, development fees, and other municipal financing mechanisms

Public records requests

Risk management, ethics training, and insurance matters

William D. Ross

Founder and Principle Attorney

 

William D. Ross has over forty (40) years of experience with representation of local government including serving as a member of the Commission for Local Governance in the 21st Century, the body whose report serves as the basis of comprehensive revisions of LAFCO statutes resulting in the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, the City of Pasadena Planning Commission and as a member of the San Francisco Bay Conservation Development Commission.

GOVERNMENTAL REPRESENTATION

Mr. Ross serves as City Attorney for the City of American Canyon in Napa County, Special Counsel for several Cities including Burbank, Richmond, El Monte, El Cerrito, Soledad and serves as District Counsel to several fire protection districts state-wide advising them on matters dealing with the extension of fire prevention and suppression services, personnel, administration and dealings with other government agencies which vary from Departments of the State of California to the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Examples of such districts are the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District in Contra Costa County, the Linda Fire Protection District in Yuba County, Salida and West-Stanislaus Fire Protection Districts in Stanislaus County, the Arbuckle-College City Fire Protection District in Colusa County, the Monterey Regional Fire Protection Districts in Monterey County, the American Canyon Fire Protection District in Napa County, and the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District in Inyo County.

Mr. Ross has also served as Special Counsel or District Counsel for the following fire protection districts, some of which have been reorganized out of existence: Moraga-Orinda and Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection Districts in Contra Costa County, the Humboldt No. 1  and Fairhaven Fire Protection Districts in Humboldt County, the Diamond Springs Fire Protection District in El Dorado County, the Mammoth Lakes and June Lake Fire Protection Districts in Mono County, the Cloverdale Fire Protection District in Sonoma County, the Walton Fire District in Sutter County, the Cordelia Fire Protection District in Solano County, the Oakdale, Woodland Avenue, Stanislaus Consolidated, Denair and Keyes Fire Protection Districts in Stanislaus County, the Jenny Lind Fire Protection District in Calaveras County and the Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District in San Mateo County.  

INDIVIDUAL INVOLVEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT

  • Member of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, Assembly Speaker’s Appointment, November 2000-June 2005
  • Member on Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century, Assembly Rules Committee Appointment, 1998-2000. Commission’s recommendation Growth Within Bounds presented the text and basis for the adoption of the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000.
  • Member of the City of Pasadena Planning Commission, 1981-1989; Chairman,1986-1988
  • Served on the Advisory Committee to the Senate Local Government Committee on Revisions to the Subdivision Map Act, 1986
  • Served on the Advisory Committee to the Senate Local Government Committee on Revisions to Fire Protection District Law of 1961, 1986

BACKGROUND

  • Los Angeles County Bar Member, Local Government and Administrative Law Section, 1978-present
  • American Bar Association member, Natural Resources Section, Administrative Law Section and Public Lands and Land Use Section, 1978-present; Member, Working Section, 1986-1987
  • USAFR, 1970-1971, Active Duty; Reserve status until 1976

EDUCATION

  • Bachelor of Arts, History, Stanford University, 1970, graduated with honors
  • Juris Doctorate, University of Santa Clara, 1974

 BAR ADMISSION

  • 1975, California, the United States District Court, Central District of California
  • 1978, United States Court of Claims
  • 1978, United States District Court, Southern District of California
  • 1981, United States District Court, Eastern District of California
  • 1982, United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • 1983, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • 1983, United States District Court, Northern District of California

ADDITIONAL

 Stanford Wrestling, Tram member 1966-1970, Team Captain 1970