Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/2016/10/)
The Anaheim City Council is set to appoint Arturo N. Fierro, the father of Councilman Jordan Brandman’s campaign manager and policy aide, as city attorney. If approved, Fierro will serve as interim city attorney for six months.
Fullerton City Council members, after hearing an earful from residents at their last meeting, could make a policy change Tuesday that would give the Fullerton Blue Stars youth soccer club a lighted field to practice on at night.
Dan Hughes, who was promoted to chief to clean up the police department following the 2011 beating death of Kelly Thomas, will retire from the department next month and become an executive overseeing security at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim.
Voice of OC heads into court this week on a public records case spurred by Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s arrest of a man at a Wahoo’s restaurant last year. Meanwhile, there are more shake-ups inside Spitzer’s county office.
While Proposition 62, which would outlaw the death penalty in California, has received the most attention this election year, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and local billionaire Henry Nicholas are championing a competing measure aimed at speeding up executions.
An independent report shows seawater desalination is by far the most expensive water supply. Local residents want to understand the true cost of the proposed Huntington Beach desalination project, especially if they are being asked to pay for it, plus the pros and the cons.
The results of the William C. Velasquez Institute internet poll of 404 OC registered Latino voters during a two-week period reveal attitudes on water. Invitations to participate in the survey was sent via email.
The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Voice of OC. The views expressed here are not those of Voice of OC. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dean Zipser dzipser@umbergzipser.com (949) 679-0052
Orange County’s Umberg Zipser Selected as a Top Litigation Boutique Law Firm
October 26, 2016 – Irvine, California – California’s legal newspaper, The Daily Journal has named Umberg Zipser (U/Z) as one of the Top Boutique Law Firms in California for 2016 – one of only 20 firms statewide receiving this distinction. The annual Top Boutiques list honors law firms that have achieved exceptional results in one practice area – Umberg Zipser was selected for Litigation. The DJ article that profiles the firm features an in-depth discussion of the firm’s representation of the California State Controller’s office with co-counsel Manatt Phelps & Phillips against software giant SAP in a case involving the multi-million dollar failure of the largest government payroll modernization effort in the nation, noting the firm’s “unique qualifications for dealing with matters at the intersection of law and government.” After several years of litigation, the case settled earlier this year with a $59 million payment to the Controller’s Office, plus agreement from SAP to drop a $23 million claim. The article notes co-founding partner Tom Umberg’s government experience as a legislator, combined with his litigation expertise, as critical in successfully resolving the State Controller’s case against SAP. It mentions Umberg’s observation that, “There’s a history that when government gets shortchanged, it can’t always successfully hold a private party accountable. I don’t think SAP understood that the controller wasn’t going to back down.”
The DJ profile of U/Z also highlights co-founding partner Dean Zipser: “Long known in Orange County for his handling of large, complex bet-the-company cases, Zipser has served as president of the county’s bar association and the Orange County chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. On the state level, he currently is co-vice chair of the California State Bar Commission charged with revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct.”
In addition to the State Controller’s case, the article highlights the firm’s long representation of Toshiba America Information Systems, and discusses the firm’s successful result in a battle over class counsel fees. The article notes: “On the defense side, Umberg Zipser prevailed in May for client Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. in a class action that arose out of an alleged electrostatic discharge in certain computer models. Although the case filed in 2005 settled quickly, years of litigation followed over one class counsels demand for a $25 million fee and more than $900,000 in costs. A Los Angeles County Superior Court trial judge and a Court of Appeal panel largely denied the fee request and affirmed discovery abuse sanctions against the plaintiffs lawyer.”
The profile, which notes that all the firm partners were previously with large law firms, goes on to quote Zipser: “We now have a nimble, small firm platform .
The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Voice of OC. The views expressed here are not those of Voice of OC.
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amanda Hughes
(949) 215-5539 amanda@communicationslab.com
October 28, 2016
CALIFORNIA WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP ASSOCIATION NAMES BARRIOS A 2017 WOMAN TO WATCH
ANAHEIM, Calif. – The California Women’s Leadership Association (CWLA) held their Women to Watch in 2017 luncheon yesterday at the Disneyland Hotel to award business women, community leaders and elected officials for their hard work and dedication to the communities they serve. The CWLA is a 501(c)(4) statewide organization that is devoted to uniting influential women leaders in order to bring about meaningful change in their surrounding communities and government through education and advocacy.
Does the public have a right to know exactly who is contributing to campaigns as well as an expectation that campaign finance laws will be enforced? Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry argues there is a key breakdown of enforcement in his city.