RUBEN DURAN - Meyers Nave

RUBEN DURANRuben Duran brings to the firm significant experiencecounseling public entities on a range of municipal law andredevelopment law issues. He has advised elected officials,cities and redevelopment agencies on matters pertaining toredevelopment, land use, California Environmental QualityAct (CEQA) compliance, affordable housing, environmentallaw, the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, elections, tortliability, gaming and conflicts of interest. Recently, Rubenwas elected Treasurer of the City Attorneys Association ofLos Angeles County.Ruben DuranPrincipal633 West Fifth Street, 17 th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90071T: 213.626.2906F: 213.626.0215rduran@meyersnave.comPractice GroupsMunicipal and Special District LawEducation LawEconomic Development, Real Estate andHousingEnvironmental LawCalifornia Bar Number197780EducationUniversity of California Hastings College ofthe Law, JD, 1998University of California San Diego, BAPolitical Science, 1993Practicing Since: 1998Ruben is the City Attorney for the City of Desert HotSprings and General Counsel to its Redevelopment Agencyas well as the Newberry Community Services District. Healso serves as General Counsel of the Fontana UnifiedSchool District. He previously served as the Assistant CityAttorney for the cities of La Puente, Pico Rivera, BellGardens, Monrovia, Barstow, La Habra Heights and BeverlyHills. In addition, Ruben has provided special counsel to theCity of Pasadena and the Los Angeles Unified SchoolDistrict.Ruben’s redevelopment experience includes serving as thelead counsel on project teams that negotiated with propertyowners, developers, tenants and businesses on projects thathave included large commercial and retail developments andaffordable housing. He has also advised clients on issuesrelated to prevailing wage compliance, owner participationrequirements and relocation requirements.With extensive land use, planning and CEQA experience,Ruben has ably advised the planning commissions and staffof several municipalities on the legal issues involved ingeneral plan amendments and zoning ordinances. In thiscapacity, he provides input on CEQA documents ranging inscope from initial studies to complete EnvironmentalImpact Reports (EIRs). In addition, he has drafted statutorydevelopment agreements with developers and conductedland use law and CEQA implementation trainings for agencystaff.Duran Page 1 of 3

Representative Experience• As City Attorney of Desert Hot Springs and General Counsel to the Desert Hot SpringsRedevelopment Agency, responsible for providing all the City’s legal services. Rubenprovides advice and counsel on general governmental issues, public contracting,telecommunications, personnel, labor and employment, litigation, police, municipal finance,and land use and planning.• Assisted the City of Desert Hot Springs and several of its sister cities in the formation of ajoint powers authority named ERICA (the East Riverside County InteroperabilityCommunications Authority).• Advised the City of Desert Hot Springs in their work with the staff of the Coachella ValleyAssociation of Governments (CVAG) in the processing and implementation of theCVMSHCP (Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan).• Oversaw and coordinated the defense against a complex CEQA writ challenging the City ofDesert Hot Springs’ certification of an EIR and associated approvals for a large mixed-usedevelopment including residential, commercial, resort and open space.• Oversaw several employment cases for the City of Desert Hot Springs, involving issues suchas wrongful termination, whistle-blowing, discrimination and harassment.• Served as lead counsel to the Bell Gardens Community Development Commission, providingday-to-day advice and representation to the City Council and their redevelopment team. Inthat capacity, Ruben drafted and negotiated all of the Commission’s agreements and legaldocuments, such as Exclusive Negotiating Agreements, Disposition and DevelopmentAgreements, leases, loan agreements and deeds of trust on affordable housing agreements.He worked closely with Commission staff and developers to make the following projects areality:• A high-quality shopping center with over 80,000 square feet of retail space with nationalchaintenants (a “first” for the City) and a full service, sit-down restaurant and bar;• A senior citizen affordable housing apartment complex with a community center;• A clubhouse for the City’s nine-hole executive golf course;• A state-of-the-art sports complex with two professional-size soccer fields, three soccer fields,three softball/baseball fields and concession facilities;• A programming and sponsorship partnership agreement with Chivas USA, a Major LeagueSoccer team, to maximize the revenue generated by the sports complex discussed above;• Several for-sale, affordable, single-family, detached housing projects consisting of at least 10units each, along with the accompanying covenants to preserve affordability levels for thelongest time allowed under the law; and• The transfer of the lease interest in a recently built shopping center from the developer thatconstructed it to the Prudential Group, under the ownership transfer provisions of theground lease, resulting in a negotiated $1 million payment to the Commission.Duran Page 2 of 3

• As assistant general counsel for the Big Bear City Community Services District, advised staffon general transactional matters and endangered species issues involving the U.S. ForestService, California Fish and Game regulations, and neighboring jurisdictions.Professional Affiliations• Member, The State Bar of California• Member, California Redevelopment Association• Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association• Treasurer, City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County• Chapter Chair, California Municipal Law Handbook Committee• Former panelist, League of California Cities Mayors and Councilmembers Academy• Former Coro Fellow in Public AffairsPresentations• Speaker, “Social Media and School Employees,” California Council of School Attorneys andthe County Counsel’s Association, Annual Conference, 2012• Speaker, AB 1234 training, City of Bell, 2011• Speaker, “Advanced Ethics and Conflicts of Interest,” City Clerk’s Association Conference,2011• Speaker, “Ethics,” California Special Districts Association, 2010• Speaker, “Cold as I.C.E.: How Not to Get Burned by the National Immigration Debate onYour Campus,” The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, 2010• Speaker, AB 1234 Training, City of Downey, 2010Duran Page 3 of 3