(213) 542-5739
ajared@chwlaw.us
Andrew is Senior Counsel in CHW’s public agency advisory group. He has dedicated his practice to representing cities and government agencies since 2006. He presently serves as the City Attorney for the Cities of Yreka, Montague, and Etna. He previously has served as City Attorney and Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Chico (6 years) and South Pasadena (2 years), and Assistant City Attorney for the City of Pomona (13 years). He also serves as General Counsel to the Goleta Water District.
His general counsel practice covers the full range of public law issues, including: land use, elections, contracts, districting, law enforcement/public safety issues, telecommunications, library law, cannabis regulation and permitting, historic preservation, conflicts of interest, open meetings and public records laws, CEQA, water law, water pollution litigation, solid waste franchises, airports, and other state and federal laws governing cities. He served as chief legal counsel to the City of Chico Airport Commission, addressing airport land use issues, including avigation easements, general plan and airport land use plan conformity, and coordination with the Butte County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC).
He earned his Juris Doctor at Pepperdine University School of Law, and a Masters of Science in Environmental Management from the University of London. He attended UCLA as an undergraduate, earning a BA in Geography.
He is serving a third term on the Municipal Law Handbook Editorial Committee, the leading treatise on California municipal law, published jointly by California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB) and the League of California Cities (Cal Cities). He has also served on the Cal Cities Public Works Policy Committee (City Attorneys Department appointee) and the City Attorney’s Department Committee on Disaster Response.
He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at California State University, Northridge as an Adjunct Professor. He has taught courses in Planning Law, and Sustainability and Environmental Analysis. He has served his community for eight years as a Planning Commissioner, twice as its Chair, and served for eight years on the Trails Committee, preserving and improving hiking, biking, and equestrian opportunities for residents.
Before law school, he lived in Tokyo for over two years, teaching English to business professionals in the publishing industry and to the Japanese National Farmers Cooperative (Zennoh). He has traveled extensively throughout Asia, including trips to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Japan. He was born, raised, and attended public schools in Pomona, California, and is proud to live and work in the San Gabriel Valley.
Practice Areas:
- Airports and Airport Land Use Planning
- Cannabis Regulation
- Conflicts of Interest
- Contracting
- Election Law
- Historic Preservation
- Land Use, Planning and CEQA
- Library Law
- Public Law
- Public Safety Defense Litigation
- Public Utilities
- Solid Waste Franchising
- Water Rights
- Water Quality