Mr. Blum has been a shareholder of the firm since 1992 and is the head of its Land Use and Environmental Law Group. Mr. Blum's practice focuses primarily on land use entitlements and compliance, including zoning, water, Subdivision Map Act, environmental review (CEQA, NEPA), general plan, and historic resource issues before government agencies and boards at the local, regional, state, and federal levels. His services include permitting and entitlement, compliance audits, due diligence investigations, and feasibility analyses. Mr. Blum has litigated land use cases in trial and appellate courts. He has extensive experience advising and representing landowners, lenders, homeowner associations, developers, businesses, and institutions through all phases of the land use process. With over 20 years of experience practicing land use law on the Central Coast, Mr. Blum provides clients with an insightful and pragmatic legal perspective on their matters. He is often consulted to develop strategies for resolving complex development and political controversies. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Blum was a land use planner with San Mateo County.
Representative Experience:
- Complex permitting issues confronting development projects in and out of the Coastal Zone, including the first subdivision in Big Sur following adoption and certification of the Monterey County Local Coastal Program.
- Negotiated the first development agreement executed in Monterey County.
- Map Act certification of well over 100 antiquated lots of record.
- Represented the lead developer under the specific plan for the largest planned development ever approved in Monterey County.
- Serving as chief counsel for institutional clients, non-profit conservation entities, and a county housing authority.
- Guiding CEQA and NEPA review and compliance.
- Negotiating and documenting numerous land conservation transactions covering approximately 30,000 acres, including the Palo Corona Ranch, the El Sur Ranch, and the Point Lobos Ranch.
- Successfully defending against historic designations of private properties.
- Guiding clients through federal and state Native American consultations.
- Litigating land use mandamus and condemnation actions, obtaining writs or favorable settlements for clients.
- Conducting Endangered Species Act consultations.
- Processing applications for water right appropriations.
Representative Matters:
- HYH Corporation, Rancho San Juan, 1986 ongoing
Mr. Blum is lead land use counsel for HYH Corporation, and has successfully obtained approval of its proposed development of a new planned community on 671 acres of undeveloped land in the Rancho San Juan area in Monterey County, north of Salinas. The project comprises all of the revised Rancho San Juan Specific Plan. Mr. Blum acted as co-counsel in litigation which successfully forced Monterey County to prepare and adopt the Rancho San Juan Specific Plan. He then negotiated a stipulated settlement agreement and a development agreement with Monterey County which resulted in approval of the HYH project. Mr. Blum successfully defended the HYH project entiltlements against multiple third party lawsuits.
- California State University, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 1992-2000
Mr. Blum successfully obtained FEMA funding, federal, state, and local entitlements, and environmental compliance for resiting and rebuilding of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories following its destruction in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and defended the actions against litigation.
Education
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1986
Instructor, Moot Court Board, 1985-1986 - San Francisco State University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1982
Admissions
- State of California, 1986
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Affiliations
- The State Bar of California (Real Property Section and Zoning and Land Use Subsection)
- Monterey County Bar Association
- American Bar Association (State and Local Government Law Section)
