Overview
Roxanne advises public clients on public law and land use issues, CEQA, the Brown Act, conflicts of interest and ethics, and the Public Records Act. With more than twenty-five years of experience, Roxanne has established herself as one of the state’s leading local government law experts.
Work for Clients
Roxanne is City Attorney for the Cities of Maywood and South Pasadena. She has also served as City Attorney for the Cities of Hidden Hills, Indio, Manhattan Beach, and Norwalk. Roxanne is widely respected by City Councilmembers, staff, and community leaders for her knowledge of municipal law, her commitment to transparency, and her calm, practical approach to solving problems. Roxanne assists the public agencies she represents on various legal issues that may range from drafting ordinances and contracts, land use matters and advising on conflict and governance.
Roxanne is active in several professional organizations including the League of California Cities and previously served as Parliamentarian for its annual meeting.
Professional Experience
Prior to joining Richards, Watson & Gershon, Roxanne was an extern to the Honorable Thomas E. Carlson, Chief Justice of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.
Honors & Awards
Managing Editor, Hastings Women’s Law Journal
Southern California Super Lawyers, 2004-2007
Professional and Community Affiliations
Past Parliamentarian, League of California Cities
Past President, City Attorney’s Association of Los Angeles County
Past Member, League of California Cities Legal Advocacy Committee
Past Member, California Special Districts Association Professional Development Committee
Past Member, Education Committee for the California Special Districts Association
Past Board Member, The John Thomas Dye School Board of Trustees, which is located in Los Angeles
Board Member, Students Run Los Angeles
Board Member, Reach Academy for Young Men
Experience
HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS
Roxanne has represented several clients in the area of performing arts including being the lead negotiator on a landmark development agreement with Goldenvoice, LLC, the promoters and owners of the world’s largest and most famous music festival franchises, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach, which take place in the City of Indio every spring. The development agreement ensures that the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals stay in the City of Indio through 2030 and allows Goldenvoice the ability to expand from its current three-festival format to a total of five festivals each year, which it did so with the successful Desert Trip concert event. Roxanne assisted the City of Indio in securing a guaranteed per-ticket fee, which provides much needed revenue to the city, as well as a related reimbursement agreement to ensure the festivals are cost-neutral to the city. In addition, the firm assisted in the preparation and review of a thousand-plus-page unusual environmental impact report that evaluated the environmental effects of “music.”
Presentations
Roxanne has been a frequent speaker on ethics and local government fundamentals. She has been a presenter on various topics for the City Clerks Association of California, the Independent Cities Association, the California Contract Cities Association, the American Planning Association California Chapter, the Planning Directors Association of Orange County, the League of California Cities, California Special Districts Association and the County Counsels Association of California. Roxanne is also a past trainer for the City Clerks Association of California for their annual “nuts and bolts” program. Her presentations include but are not limited to the following:
- Speaker, Real World Ethics in General Law & Charter Cities, California Contract Cities Association
- Speaker, Lessons Learned: Leadership and Ethics, Independent Cities Association
- Speaker and Author, Form 700-Easier Than it Looks, California Special Districts Association
- Speaker and Author, Records Retention, California Special Districts Association
- Speaker, AB 1234 Ethics Training
Publications
Practice Areas
Focus Areas
Education
J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
B.A., California State University, Fullerton
