2024 Public Meetings, Public Records Speakers
Amy Ackerman
Amy Ackerman serves as the head of the firmâs government practice group. Her experience includes general public agency law, open government law, public health, juvenile dependency, and appellate law. She currently serves as town counsel for the Town of Corte Madera, District Counsel for Marin Sanitary District No. 2, and general counsel for San Franciscoâs Downtown business improvement district.
Amy was a Senior Deputy City Attorney for 16 years with the City and County of San Francisco. She served as the first Director of Training for the City Attorneyâs Office and developed a comprehensive training program for Deputy City Attorneys and paralegals. She seved as legal counsel to the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. Amy also served as general counsel, litigating at both the trial and appellate level and drafting legislation, to a wide variety of City departments and agencies, including the Arts Commission, Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, Department of Human Services, First Five Commission, Film Commission, Juvenile Probation Department, Office of Citizensâ Complaints of the San Francisco Police Department, Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, Mayorâs Office of Criminal Justice, Rent Board, San Francisco Unified School District and Youth Commission.
John Appelbaum
For over 10 years, Mr. Appelbaum has served on the Executive Committee of the Public Law Section of the State Bar, as well as during its transition to the CLA. From 2016-2017, Mr. Appelbaum served as the Chair to Public Law Section.
Mr. Appelbaum has been with the Attorney Generalâs Office for over 30 years where he is currently assigned to Native American Tribal Affairs. From 2005-2006, he also served as the Enforcement Division Chief for the Fair Political Practices Commission. In June 2005, he received the Award of Excellence from the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers for his advocacy benefitting individuals with disabilities. Mr. Appelbaum began his legal career in 1990 as an associate at the San Diego law firm of Jennings, Engstrand & Henrikson, which specialized in public-entity representation. In 1993, he joined the California Attorney Generalâs Office and in 1999, was appointed as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General.
Mr. Appelbaum received his B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1986 and his J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law in 1990, with honors.
Donna Dean
Donna M. Dean is a Deputy Attorney General Supervisor in the Tort & Condemnation Section of the California Office of the Attorney General in Los Angeles. Since joining the office in 2006, she has defended state agencies and state employees in a wide variety of tort and civil rights actions in state and federal trial and appellate courts, including matters arising from officer-involved shootings and other uses of force by peace officers employed by the State of California. One of her roles as a Deputy Attorney General Supervisor is to oversee a team that assists in responding to Public Records Act requests for peace officer records within the Tort & Condemnation Sectionâs files.
She is a 1996 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, and she graduated from University of California, Irvine, in 1988 with a B.A. in English. Before law school, she was an English teacher in the Anaheim Union High School District.
She has continued her passion for teaching while at the Office of the Attorney General by mentoring newer attorneys, co-coordinating the Los Angeles officeâs summer intern program, and providing in-house training on a variety of topics to Deputy Attorneys General, paralegals, and interns throughout the state. She also recently oversaw the planning and implementation of a âlitigation boot campâ to train newly and recently admitted attorneys in the Tort & Condemnation Section on the nuts and bolts of litigation and the substantive areas of law practiced by the section.
In 2016, she received the Attorney Generalâs âAward for Client Representationâ based on her success in complicated and significant litigation and her longstanding successful relationships with client agencies. In 2023, she was part of a team awarded the Attorney Generalâs âAward for Excellence as a Teamâ based on her work to protect the identities of sexual assault victims in a civil matter connected to the prosecution of NaasĂłn JoaquĂn GarcĂa, the leader of La Luz del Mundo.
Christopher Diaz
Christopher J. Diaz is a public agency attorney serving as interim city attorney to the City of Napa and city attorney to the towns of Colma and Hillsborough. He also previously served as City Attorney to the City of Milpitas, a role he served in for seven years. Christopher regularly helps his public agency clients in all areas of public agency law, including the Brown Act, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), ethics laws and conflicts of interest.
Christopher also regularly advises public agency clients on the myriad of land use laws, including state planning and zoning laws and the Subdivision Map Act. Christopher also has considerable experience advising public agency clients on transactional compliance with CEQA, and regularly reviews environmental impact reports, mitigated negative declarations, negative declarations and initial studies.
Christopher has a strong passion for ensuring open and honest government and regularly advises public agency clients on the Brown Act, and state conflict of interest and ethics laws. He has provided training on the Brown Act and ethics laws. He also has considerable experience in interpreting regulations adopted by the state Fair Political Practices Commission and has drafted various opinion letters to elected and appointed officials on compliance with the Political Reform Act and Government Code section 1090.
Christopher is currently serving on the Brown Act Committee of the City Attorneyâs Department for the League of California Cities. He previously served on the League of California Citiesâ Community Services Policy Committee as the City Attorneyâs Department appointee, as well as on the Resolutions Committee at the Leagueâs Annual Conference. Christopher previously served a three-year term on the Executive Committee of the Public Law Section of the State Bar of California.
John Steve Doimas
John is an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Santa Barbara. Over the years he has litigated on behalf of the City , including bringing forth a Receivership and Unfair Competition Lawsuit against a landlord over several of his multiunit properties. John has also served as the advisor to various City Departments including Police, Fire, Library, Human Resources, Public Works , Finance, Community Development and Waterfront.
Originally from Chicago, Mr. Doimas received his law degree from Loyola University Chicago with highest honors and earned bachelor degrees in political science and history and a minor in economics from DePaul University. In his free time John enjoys watching his daughterâs gymnastics and soccer competitions.
Dan Hentschke
Dan Hentschke been a public agency lawyer since 1977. He joined the Santa Barbara City Attorneyâs Office in December 2017 and after âretiringâ for the second time is currently serving as Assistant City Attorney part-time as a retired annuitant. Before that he served as: General Counsel for the San Diego County Water Authority (1998-2015); City Attorney for the cities of Oceanside (1991-1998), San Marcos (1987-1993) and Solana Beach (1986-1998); assistant city attorney for Carlsbad (1979-1986); and as a deputy city attorney for San Diego (1977-1979). He has also served as special counsel for numerous special districts. Dan is a past president of the League of California Cities, City Attorney Department and past chair of the Association of California Water Agencies Legal Affairs Committee. Dan is a product of Santa Barbaraâs public education system (Adams Elementary, La Cumbre Junior High, Santa Barbara High, and UCSB).
Michael Jenkins
Michael Jenkins has practiced in the area of municipal law as a city attorney for multiple jurisdictions for 46 years. He chaired the Brown Act Committee of the City Attorneys Department of CalCities for many years and served as editor of the 3rd, 4th and 5th editions of Open & Public, the CalCities Brown Act pamphlet. Mike teaches Local Government Law at the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California. He is Of Counsel with the law firm of Best Best & Krieger.
David Loy
David Loy became the First Amendment Coalitionâs legal director in 2022. David is an experienced free speech and open government litigator. He has defended the First Amendment rights of reporters, photographers, bloggers, students, teachers, activists, protesters, musicians, Marines, and motorcycle club members. He has fought for public disclosure and governmental transparency for over 20 years.
Before joining FAC, David served as legal director of the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties for almost 16 years. He also worked as a staff attorney with the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York City, a public defender in Spokane, Washington, and a staff attorney with the Center for Justice in Spokane.
He received his A.B. in History and Chinese Language from Brown University, where he was photo editor of the Brown Daily Herald. After college, he worked for a law firm in San Francisco, taught English in China, and served as the legal assistant for a Chicago legal services office. He graduated from Northwestern University School of Law in 1994 and clerked for Judge Dolores K. Sloviter of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
David is an active member of the California and New York bars, with inactive status in Washington and Illinois. He has served on the Southern District of California lawyer representative committee and the boards of California Appellate Defense Counsel and American Constitution Society, San Diego Lawyer Chapter.
Megan McClurg
Megan McClurg is a Deputy City Attorney with the Chula Vista City Attorneyâs Office, where she has served in both civil litigation and advisory capacities. Ms. McClurg has represented the City and its employees in a broad range of state and federal civil litigation cases and administrative enforcement matters. She currently provides legal advice and assistance to various City departments and divisions including the City Clerk, City Manager, Development Services, Economic Development, Fire, Finance, Housing & Homeless Services, Library, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Public Works. She also provides advice and assistance to several of the Cityâs Boards and Commissions. Ms. McClurg is licensed to practice law in California and Arizona. Prior to her position at the Chula Vista City Attorneyâs Office, Ms. McClurg worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the Tohono Oâodham Nation in southern Arizona, where she advised and represented the Nation in both state and tribal courts, and as a Staff Attorney for Southern Arizona Legal Aid, where she handled civil litigation matters. Ms. McClurg obtained her JD from the University of Arizona in 2002 and an LLM in Indigenous Peoplesâ Law and Policy from the University of Arizona in 2003.
Michael McDonnell
Michael McDonnell currently serves as Assistant General Counsel with the San Diego County Water Authority and previously served as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Chula Vista. Michael serves as Chair of the Public Law Section Executive Committee of the California Lawyerâs Association. His practice focuses on public works, real estate, contracts, procurement, public records, public meetings, and other municipal law matters.
Michael received his J.D. from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his children.
Abigail McLaughlin
Abigail McLaughlin is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP and a member of the General Liability and Appellate Practices, working primarily on the Civil Rights & Police Litigation Defense Task Force. Ms. McLaughlin is a law and motion and appellate advocacy specialist, working to secure defense-favorable motion and appeal outcomes in both federal and state courts. Her most recent Ninth Circuit appeal resulted in published case law clarifying when a Brady claim was actionable and the dismissal of the underlying action by the District Court. (Parker v. Cty. of Riverside, 78 F.4th 1109 (9th Cir. 2023).) Ms. McLaughlin also advises public entities regarding their duties under the California Public Records Act (âCPRAâ) and has successfully defended such public entities in CPRA litigation.
Ms. McLaughlin received her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2016 and has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin. While at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, she was the Managing Editor of the Oklahoma Law Review and inducted into the Order of the Barristers. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Ms. McLaughlin was an associate at a boutique probate litigation firm and handled all aspects of cases from inception to settlement or trial, before moving to a mid-size firm as a member of their strategy, writs, and appeals team.
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell handles all legal issues confronted by local agencies and special districts from advice regarding board and legislative actions, administrative policy implementation, open meetings, election laws and effective government to claims avoidance, mitigation and processing, negotiations, advisory and transactional law, labor and employment law, water law, public contracts, insurance, liability issues, real estate, leases, easements and development agreements, low income housing projects, civil rights, regulatory compliance, code enforcement, public works, infrastructure and rate setting. Admitted to the California State Bar in 1999, Elizabeth utilizes her extensive background as a trial attorney in civil litigation and business transactions to help public agencies, municipalities, special districts, joint power authorities, non-profits and businesses avoid potential future legal problems before they arise. She has been focusing on public interest law since 2015, but also has a corporate and transactional practice.
Before joining the firm, Elizabeth was a partner in the litigation department of one of San Diegoâs premiere mid-size business defense firms. Her sophisticated trial practice included international and multi-district civil litigation in state and federal court, unfair competition and trade secret cases, intellectual property, creditorsâ rights, environmental causes, large corporate bankruptcies and American with Disabilities Act claims, among others. She also has experience with all aspects of transactional and corporate advice, contracts, negotiations, compliance and strategic planning, leases, franchises, acquisitions and other complex corporate work. Elizabeth also spent time at a boutique plaintiffâs class action firm pursuing high profile public interest cases including privacy and constitutional rights, labor and employment law, health care and technology, false advertising and the Lanham Act. Before law school, she served as a legislative intern for the majority chairman of the House of Representativeâs Education Committee.
Elizabeth is now the City Attorney for the City of San Clemente, General Counsel for Vista Irrigation District, Assistant General Counsel for Clean Energy Alliance, Assistant City Attorney for the City of Solana Beach, Assistant City Attorney for the City of Coronado, and the Assistant General Counsel for SBCS Corporation, putting her diverse background to work for local government, special districts, non-profits and businesses throughout California.
For more information visit https://www.bwslaw.com/meet-our-people/elizabeth-a-mitchell/
Phillip Murray
Phillip Murray is a California lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in public employment, labor, and education law. He currently serves as Staff Counsel at the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) in West Sacramento, California where he represents correctional peace officers in various legal proceedings before the State Personnel Board and the superior and appellate courts, specializing in use of force issues. He is one of CCPOAâs trainers for local job stewards.
Murray holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Taxation from Golden Gate University, a Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law, a Master of Arts in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor or Ats in English Literature from UCLA. Before entering the legal profession, Murray taught English composition at two community colleges in California as well as in several educational institutions in Japan and South Korea.
Murray is admitted to the California State Bar, the United States Tax Court, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Central Districts of California. He has also completed specialized training in police use of force and legal issues.
Stella Ngai
Ms. Ngai has served as counsel for the Regents of the University of California since 2010. She is an expert on the California Public Records Act and privacy laws relating to students, staff, and faculty.
Ms. Ngai was the Chief Campus Counsel of UC Merced from 2021 to 2024. She advised the Chancellor and senior leadership on a broad range of legal issues including business transactions, academic affairs, research, and student affairs.
Before joining the university, Ms. Ngai was an Assistant District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco and a litigator with the law firm of Minami Tamaki. Ms. Ngaiâs civic work includes her service on Californiaâs Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE). She was the 2021 JNE chair.
Tracy Noonan
Tracy Noonan has more than 20 years of municipal law experience representing cities, counties, redevelopment agencies and special districts. Since 2012, she has served as City Attorney for the City of Thousand Oaks. Prior to her current position, Tracy was the City Attorney for the City of Simi Valley and Assistant City Attorney for the City of Thousand Oaks. Prior to going in-house as an Assistant City Attorney for Thousand Oaks in 2005, she was a partner with Brown, Winfield & Canzoneri â a law firm that specialized in municipal legal services.
While her primary municipal law background is in land use, Tracy has represented cities on a myriad of topics such as Public Contracts law, Brown Act, Public Records Act, Conflicts of Interest, Personnel, Torts, and Elections. She has litigated cases on behalf of cities and has acted as general legal adviser to City Councils, Planning Commissions, and Personnel Boards.
Tracy graduated cum laude from Southwestern University School of Law where she was the editor-in-chief of the Universityâs Law Review. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from California State University, Long Beach in Speech Communication â Rhetorical Theory.
Tracy is a native of Ventura County â a 4th generation Simi Valley resident, and currently resides in Simi Valley.
Frank Splendorio
Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK) Partner Frank A. Splendorio is a seasoned Municipal Law and Special District attorney who provides city attorney services and general counsel advice to public agencies. In such roles, Frank advises clients on a wide breadth of issues his clients regularly encounter, including governance matters, new laws and regulatory compliance, conflicts of interest laws, sunshine laws such as the Public Records Act and the Brown Act, land use matters, public contracting, water rights and water regulation, utilities and Prop 218, and labor and employment matters.
Frank also serves as co-chair of the firmâs Open Government and Ethics Group, which provides counsel to public entities, officials, and agency managers on conflicts of interest, public integrity, and the Brown Act.
Prior to joining BBK, Frank served as chief assistant city attorney to the City of Modesto and as deputy city attorney to the City of Rancho Cordova. He also served as a deputy city attorney for the City of Vallejo.
While attending the UC College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings), Frank served a summer as an intern to the U.S. Coast Guard Judge Advocate General Corps and as a judicial extern to the Hon. Marvin R. Baxter of the California Supreme Court. He enjoys wine tasting, cooking, and spending time with his family, preferably all at the same time.
S. Pat Tsen
S. Pat Tsen is the Deputy Executive Director for Consumer Policy, Transportation, and Enforcement at the California Public Utilities Commission. She oversees the regulation of fared Passenger transportation services (Uber, Lyft, Autonomous vehicles, limousines, tour buses, and ferries), as well as safety oversight of all rail services including freight and passenger transit in California. She also leads enforcement against fraud and abuse by CPUC regulated entities in California.
Before her current role, she was an Administrative Law Judge at the CPUC for 10 years. Her formal proceeding work at the CPUC helped set rates, implemented state policy goals, ensured public safety, and adjudicated customer complaints for CPUC regulated utilities in communications, energy, transportation, and water.
Before joining the CPUC, Pat was a Senior Corporations Counsel for the Department of Corporations (Now Department of Financial Protection and Innovation) and reviewed securities offerings and merger/acquisition transactions of California companies. She attended undergrad at U.C. Berkeley, and received her law degree from McGeorge School of law.
Pat is active within her community and committed to developing the next generation of diverse lawyers. She started as a mentor at the De Anza Law academy in Richmond in 2013, and have been mentoring ever since. Since 2021, she has been the chair of the advisory board
Darren Ziegler
Darren Ziegler is Director of PRA Services & E-Discovery Counsel with Best Best & Krieger LLP. Hepreviously worked as staff attorneywith BBKâs Advanced Records Center in Ontario, California.
Darren has dedicated the majority of his legal career to working in the public sector, most recently as deputy county counsel for the Riverside County Office ofCounty Counsel. He served as general counsel to both the Department of Animal Services and Office ofEconomic Development Darren advised clients on the formation and administration of various special tax districts and handled civil litigation matters including code enforcement cases.
Additionally, Darren has served as the deputy city attorney for the Moreno Valley Office of the City Attorney, where he oversaw general litigation for the city, acted as counsel for all city advisory boards, commissions and committees, oversaw review of allCalifornia Public Records Act requests, and served as the cityâs risk manager.