practice areas |
public agencies |
community groups |
members of the firm |
hiring
Richard S. Taylor
Mr. Taylor joined Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger in 1991, and is a partner with the firm. He received his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the Haas School of Business. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Taylor was a planner with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the Santa Barbara County Planning Department’s Energy Division. He received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning with Honors from the University of California at Davis.
Mr. Taylor serves as City Attorney to the City of Saratoga and serves as special counsel advising local governments, special districts, and community groups on a wide range of issues, including CEQA, open space preservation strategies, land use, trails and recreation planning, local agency formation commission proceedings, election law, and other public agency law issues.
Much of Mr. Taylor’s practice is focused on complex planning and land use matters. He is currently advising El Dorado County on its adoption of a General Plan, the scope of the County's interim land use authority, and legal issues arising from prior land use approvals. He advised the City of Sacramento and other stakeholders during the successful adoption of the landmark Water Forum. The resulting agreement ensures a safe and reliable long term water supply for the region while preserving the fishery, wildlife, recreational and aesthetic values of the Lower American River. Mr. Taylor was also part of a Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger team that advised the City of Livermore in drafting planning documents, ordinances, and multi-party agreements, including agricultural conservation easements and development agreements, to encourage land preservation through density bonuses.
Mr. Taylor has advised a number of agencies and organizations in connection with open space preservation and trails and recreation planning. These include the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in preparing a draft Service Plan and related CEQA and LAFCO documentation for annexation to the District of the coastal region of San Mateo County; Santa Clara County in connection with its adoption of a Parks and Trails Master Plan; and the Cities of Benicia, Fairfield, and Vallejo and Solano County in creating a joint powers agency to cooperatively plan for and protect open space and agricultural lands in the area between the three cities.
As City Attorney to the City of Saratoga Mr. Taylor advises the City on the full range of issues arising in the course of City operations. These include advising the City Council regarding open meeting laws, conflicts of interest, and legal issues associated with the various matters before the Council and working with the City Manager and department heads to implement City policy in accord with various legal restrictions. Mr. Taylor also assists City staff with drafting ordinances, resolutions, contracts, permit conditions, easements, and other legal documents for the City.
Mr. Taylor also works with local community groups and local governments to draft initiatives that address local land use concerns. He has drafted initiatives to achieve the following land use goals: establishing urban growth boundaries, protecting military facilities from urban encroachment, linking growth to the availability of water supply, protecting agricultural lands, reaffirming existing General Plan policies protecting local neighborhoods, and influencing the reuse planning process for military bases subject to closure.
Mr. Taylor is a frequent speaker before groups such as the California League of Cities and the Sierra Business Council. He is a principal co-author of Ballot Box Planning: Understanding Land Use Initiatives in California, published by the Institute for Local Self Government; the “Local Land Use Initiatives and Referendums” chapter of the California Environmental law and Land Use Practice, published by Matthew Bender; and Protecting Local Wetlands: A Toolbox for Your Community, published by Save the Bay under a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. He is a contributor to the Municipal Law Handbook and the California Environmental Law Reporter. He served as Managing Editor of the Ecology Law Quarterly while a student at Boalt Hall School of Law.
Mr. Taylor is a member of the State Bar of California, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and has also been admitted to practice in the District of Columbia (inactive).
portraits by Liza Heider