Rachel B. Hooper
Rachel B. Hooper joined Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger in 1984 and has served as the firm’s Managing Partner since 1998. Before joining the firm, Ms. Hooper worked for two years as Law Clerk to the Honorable Laughlin E. Waters, United State District Judge, Central District of California. Ms. Hooper’s practice includes representation of environmental groups and public agencies in matters involving CEQA; NEPA; Endangered Species Act; and state laws governing general plans, zoning, forestry, annexations, and climate change. An expert in election law, Ms. Hooper has drafted and defended land use initiatives on behalf of community groups and local governments, and has prepared numerous referenda challenging local legislative approvals.
Ms. Hooper has extensive litigation experience in federal and state courts, at both the trial court and appellate levels. She defended Napa County in DeVita v. County of Napa, litigation challenging a 30-year agricultural preservation initiative, ultimately prevailing in the California Supreme Court. She served as plaintiffs’ lead attorney in litigation setting aside Placer County’s approval of the Martis Valley Community Plan, and in a legal action resulting in the rescission of a 20-year water privatization contract approved by the City of Stockton. More recently, representing the Sierra Club, Ms. Hooper negotiated a landmark settlement with the California Attorney General and the City of Stockton that calls for specific policies and programs to address the threat of global warming.
Among other current cases, Ms. Hooper represents environmental groups challenging the approval of a large ski resort on Dyer Mountain in Lassen County; opposing the Regents Road Bridge over Rose Canyon in San Diego; and challenging a large new development in Riverside County known as the “Villages of Lakeview.” In 2010, Ms. Hooper received the California Lawyer's Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award for her success in challenging the Nestle company's proposal to construct a large water bottling facility on the McCloud River.
Ms. Hooper has spoken widely on land use planning, CEQA, and initiatives and referenda. She has been a guest lecturer at Stanford Law School and U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and serves on the editorial board of Matthew Bender’s California Environmental Law Reporter. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Ms. Hooper was named a Northern California Super Lawyer. Ms. Hooper is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and received her B.A. from Yale University, graduating summa cum laude.
Ms. Hooper is a member of the Bars of the State of California, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California.