Municipal Law

Best Best & Krieger provides advice to our clients under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000.

Our firm serves as general counsel to the San Bernardino, Orange County and El Dorado LAFCOs and as counsel to the California Association of LAFCOs ("CALAFCO"). We have advised Orange County LAFCO on a series of incorporations since 1996. These incorporations were among the first following passage of the revenue neutrality statute. We also provided advice to the chief petitioners in the proposed San Fernando Valley special reorganization process. We often provide litigation services to LAFCOs and other public agencies in matters relating to organizational changes.

We have drafted legislation and presented testimony to the California Senate Local Government Committee proposing revisions to the Cortese-Knox Act of 1985. We were further involved in the drafting of the 2000 version of the Act and have worked periodically on task forces for legislative clean-up. We have counseled CALAFCO on LAFCOs' ability to impose terms and conditions during revenue neutrality negotiations and assist our LAFCO clients in facilitating inter-agency discussions about governmental efficiency.

We have participated on a task force comprised of representatives of the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and CALAFCO to modify and clarify the revenue neutrality statute and other provisions of the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act relating to incorporations. We served as legal sub-consultants to OPR on its adoption of a new State Guide to the LAFCO Process for Incorporations and worked on the state task force to adopt guidelines for municipal service reviews.