(213) 542-5734
agiragosian@chwlaw.us
Aleks is Senior Counsel to the firm, a member of the municipal practice group and resident in our Pasadena office.
Aleks serves as Assistant City Attorney to the cities of Sierra Madre and South Pasadena and Assistant General Counsel to the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission and the Camarillo Health Care District. Aleks’ practice includes advising clients on the Brown Act and Public Records Act, Political Reform Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act, and Local Hospital District Law.
Aleks’ practice is particularly focused on land use and housing law. He drafts ordinances and advises cities on local accessory dwelling units and density bonuses. He tracks and presents on State land use and housing legislation, including the Housing Accountability Act and the Housing Crisis Act. Aleks has extensive experience drafting easements, restrictive covenants, leases, licenses, and rental agreements.
Aleks is also well-versed in general civil litigation. In his election law practice, he successfully defended the City of Barstow against a reimbursement demand under the California Voting Rights Act and defeated an initiative petition for the City of Oxnard. In his land use practice, he successfully defended the City of Pomona in a challenge to the City Council’s denial of a conditional use permit, and the City of Calabasas in an action to nullify the City’s accessory dwelling unit ordinance.
Aleks previously served as a Legal Fellow in the Glendale City Attorney’s Office, where he drafted ordinances and prosecuted misdemeanor violations of the Glendale Municipal Code. In addition, he worked closely with city staff to revise Glendale’s local California Environmental Quality Act guidelines to clarify its procedural steps and incorporate recently enacted regulations.
While in law school, Aleks worked for a number of state and local agencies, including the California Attorney General, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
Aleks graduated from UCLA with a Juris Doctor and a Master’s in Public Policy, earning the school’s prestigious Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Aleks also received the Dukakis Fellowship and the Leadership in Sustainability Certificate awarded by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.