Speakers

Conference Faculty Includes:

Cecily Talbert Barclay is a partner and the Chair of Bingham McCutchen LLP’s Land Use and Development Practice Group. Ms. Barclay focuses her practice on land use, real estate and local government law. She regularly assists landowners, developers and public agencies throughout California in all aspects of land use processing, including compliance with CEQA, drafting, negotiating and obtaining the approval of development agreements, general plan amendments, specific plans, planned development zoning, and tentative and final subdivision maps. Ms. Barclay is the author of Curtin’s California Land Use and Planning Law, a well known publication which definitively summarizes the major provisions of California’s land use and planning laws. She regularly speaks and writes on topics involving land use and local government law, including programs and articles for the American Bar Association, American Planning Association, California Continuing Education of the Bar, League of California Cities, University of California Extension programs, Urban Land Institute, and other state and national associations and conferences. Ms. Barclay is also the president of two nonprofit affordable housing corporations in Oakland, California. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Matthew S. Gray is a partner in Bingham McCutchen’s Land Use and Development Practice Group. His practice focuses on land use entitlement processing and litigation. Mr. Gray represents a range of local agencies, real estate developers, and landowners in all stages of the land use entitlement process. Mr. Gray also litigates land use matters in the state and federal courts, having defended clients in challenges under the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Subdivision Map Act, as well as local zoning ordinances and general plans. Mr. Gray has lectured on Planning Law and Legal Process through University of California at Berkeley Extension Program and on the Subdivision Map Act through Continuing Education of the Bar. Mr. Gray is a member of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) and previously served as a board member and chair of the Amicus Committee of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Ella Foley Gannon focuses her practice on federal and state environmental laws, natural resource permitting, and land use entitlements. She assists developers and landowners who undertake complex development projects, including residential, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and energy generation and transmission projects.

Ella is a recognized authority in endangered species, wetland, water quality and water rights issues. She represents clients before a myriad of state and federal regulatory agencies. Her project experience includes a variety of development types ranging from non-renewable and renewable energy projects to mixed use and major infrastructure projects. Earlier in her career, Ella was a law clerk to the Hon. Melvin Brunetti of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was also a research fellow for the University of California Water Resources Department.

Ella’s stormwater permitting projects include conducting an audit of a major builder’s stormwater pollution prevention plans for large mixed-use projects to ensure compliance with the requirements of the California General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Runoff associated with construction-related activities, assisting a client in responding to and addressing regulatory requirements associated with discharges of untreated stormwater and helping obtain concurrence from Regional Water Quality Control Board that discharge did not constitute violation of permit conditions. Ella also represents a manufacturing facility in connection with obtaining and complying with an NPDES permit.

Ella is the co-author of "Square Pegs and a Round Hole: Why the Endangered Species Act is Ill-Suited to Address Emissions of GHGs and the Effects of Global Climate Change," Climate Change Law & Policy Reporter (October 2009), and is also the co-author of "Institutional Arrangements for Conjunctive Water Management in California and Analysis of Legal Reform Alternatives," University of California Water Resources Center (1999), related article published in Hastings West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law and Policy (Winter 2000). She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

David L. Barclay is the principal of Barclay Consulting Group, Ltd, specializing in strategic support for real estate companies, land acquisition, land development, project management, risk assessment, risk management and financial analysis. David has oversight on mixed use projects in Florida, California and Maryland.

David is a former President, National Land Division, President-West Operating Region and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Centex Homes, a nation-wide homebuilding and real estate development company. The National Land Division had oversight responsibility for approximately 50 legacy assets around the country with a book value of $1.3 billion. David was responsible for the balance sheet and operations for approximately one-half of the company. As a member of the Senior Management Team, he participated in determining the company’s strategic direction, operational strategy, and tactics to survive the current economic downturn. David was a leader in the development of a pre-packaged bankruptcy strategy for Crown Village Farm, LLC, a joint venture with KB Home. He led a team that negotiated the purchase of a Centex/Touse joint venture bank loan in default and the purchase of Tousa’s assets and interest in the joint venture.

David earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Kansas. He earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. He serves on the Alamo Municipal Advisory Council, appointed by the Contra Costa County District 3 Supervisor.

Charles Lester is the Senior Deputy Director for the California Coastal Commission, with responsibilities including oversight of the North Central and Central Coast Districts, and the Statewide Planning Unit of the Commission. Charles received his Bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in New York City, with a degree in Geochemistry. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1989, and a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy in 1992. Before coming to the Coastal Commission, Charles was a professor of environmental policy at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1993-1997. His areas of expertise were environmental policy, law and politics; governance and public law; coastal zone management; and environmental sustainability.

Co-Chairpersons:

Michael R. Jencks, principal, Jencks & Company Law Offices, San Luis Obispo, and adjunct faculty, California Polytechnic State University’s City & Regional Planning and Natural Resource Management Departments; J.D. University of California Berkeley (Boalt Hall)

Cecily Talbert Barclay, partner and Chair of Bingham McCutchen’s Land Use and Development Practice Group, Bingham McCutchen, and author of Curtin’s California Land Use and Planning Law; J.D. Harvard University

Registration and Breakfast Commence at 8:00 a.m.
Program Starts Promptly at 8:30 a.m.

Palm and Fireside Rooms
Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort
1215 Avila Beach Drive
Avila Beach, CA 93405
805.595.7302

Post Conference Reception
All those attending are invited to join conference faculty, speakers, sponsors, and fellow attendees following the program at 5:30 pm for a reception and wine tasting.

Sponsoring Winery: Coquelicot Estate Vineyard

Speakers

Conference Faculty Includes:

Co-Chairpersons:

Registration and Breakfast Commence at 8:00 a.m. Program Starts Promptly at 8:30 a.m.

Registration and Breakfast Commence at 8:00 a.m.
Program Starts Promptly at 8:30 a.m.