Jon di Cristina(530) 798-2991
jdicristina@chwlaw.us

 Jon is senior counsel in Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley’s litigation and public finance practice groups. He has advised and represented local governments in a range of public law issues, including municipal finance, land use, cannabis regulation, elections, public utilities, and relations among local government entities.

As a public finance specialist, Jon has deep experience advising cities and special districts on how to navigate the California Constitution’s provisions regarding taxes, assessments, and service fees (Propositions 218 and 26), as well as the Mitigation Fee Act, the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act, and the myriad other statutes governing local finance in California. His clients have included the Cities of Auburn, Bakersfield, Barstow, Bell Gardens, Calabasas, Carson, Chico, Chula Vista, Encinitas, Glendale, Grass Valley, Lakeport, Lodi, Manhattan Beach, Martinez, Modesto, Monterey, Novato, Ojai, Oxnard, Pacific Grove, Pasadena, Pittsburg, Redding, Redlands, Richmond, San Jose, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Torrance, Tracy, Vallejo, Ventura, Weed, the Town of Yountville, and Yreka. He also advises community choice aggregators providing electric service, as well as a variety of water, irrigation, sanitary, community services, community facilities, business improvement, and fire protection districts.

As a litigator, Jon has assisted local governments from the levels of administrative code enforcement to the California Supreme Court. His cases include defense of Glendale’s water rates under Proposition 218, the Newhall County Water District’s challenge to wholesale water rates under Proposition 26, defense of Richmond’s collection of delinquent solid waste fees via property liens, and the defense of San Rafael’s parcel tax for paramedic services as applied to churches.

Prior to finishing college, Jon served as a Spanish translator in the Air Force.

Appellate Experience

  • Citizens for Fair REU Rates v. City of Redding (2018) 6 Cal.5th 1
  • Barajas v. City of Petaluma (A165258, Aug. 28, 2024) 2024 WL 3959224
  • City of Oxnard v. Starr (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 731
  • Northern California Environmental Defense Center v. City of Chico (C092612, Feb. 4, 2022) 2022 WL 336433
  • Saavedra v. City of Glendale (B310212, Oct. 31, 2022) 2022 WL 16549025
  • Lauckhart v. County of Yolo (C092354, Mar. 8, 2022) 2022 WL 679672
  • Valley Baptist Church v. City of San Rafael (2021) 61 Cal.App.5th 401
  • City of Oxnard v. Starr (B297294, Oct. 13, 2020) 2020 WL 6042024
  • Luke v. Sonoma County (2019) 43 Cal.App.5th 301
  • Kahan v. City of Richmond (2019) 35 Cal.App.5th 721
  • Saavedra v. City of Glendale (B283731 & B2811991, Dec. 27, 2018) 2018 WL 6804262, 2018 WL 6804332
  • Glendale Coalition for Better Government v. City of Glendale (B281994, B282410, B283819, Dec. 27, 2018) 2018 WL 6804219, 2018 WL 6804360, 2018 WL 6804333
  • Urgent Care Medical Services v. City of Pasadena (2018) 21 Cal.App.5th 1086
  • City of Vallejo v. NCORP4, Inc. (2017) 15 Cal.App.5th 1078
  • Newhall County Water Dist. v. Castaic Lake Water Agency (2016) 243 Cal.App.4th 1430
  • City of Oxnard v. Sempra Energy (B260192, Jan. 26, 2016) 2016 WL 311130
  • Capistrano Taxpayers Assn., Inc. v. City of San Juan Capistrano (2015) 235 Cal.App.4th 1493 
  • City of Clovis v. County of Fresno (2014) 222 Cal.App.4th 1469
  • Schmeer v. County of Los Angeles (2013) 213 Cal.App.4th 1310

Education

  • Princeton University, A.B. (magna cum laude)
  • University of California, Davis, J.D.