STEVEN B. QUINTANILLA
Mr. Quintanilla, a principal of the Firm, was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1992. Mr. Quintanilla's areas of practice includes municipal government, land use planning and development, environmental, and administrative law. His educational background includes a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, a M.A. in Urban Planning from the UCLA School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and a B.A. in Environmental Policy from the UCLA Geography Department from which he graduated magna cum laude and with numerous other academic honors.
Currently, Mr. Quintanilla serves as the City Attorney for the City of Rancho Mirage, Deputy City Attorney for the City of Cathedral City, and General Legal Counsel for the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District and the Palm Springs Cemetery District. As legal counsel to Rancho Mirage, Mr. Quintanilla provides daily advice to City staff, attends all Planning Commission and City Council meetings and public hearings, drafts and/or reviews all City resolutions and ordinances, and conducts workshops on a number of issues, including but not limited to the Ralph M. Brown Act, the Political Reform Act, the Permit Streamlining Act and various personnel issues. Mr. Quintanilla also has appeared before various legislative bodies of the County representing the Firm’s public agency clients on issues ranging from annexation to land use and environmental matters.
Mr. Quintanilla has also prepared two comprehensive guides suitable for use by public officials regarding the application of the Brown Act and the State's complex public notice requirements and he has drafted a feature article on the historic development of the Brown Act for the League of California Cities monthly "Western Cities" magazine. Mr. Quintanilla also drafted an article regarding local regulation of firearms dealer establishments for the Public Law Journal. Mr. Quintanilla is also a frequent contributor to the editorial page of the Coachella Valley’s Desert Sun Newspaper. He has prepared several commentaries for the Desert Sun on topics ranging from ethics in government to effective public participation in the local political process. Mr. Quintanilla is also frequently invited to speak to various audiences on issues such as open and public meetings, disclosure of public records, government ethics, conflicts of interest, general plans, constitutional law, land use proceedings, redevelopment law, and charter cities.
In addition to the above, Mr. Quintanilla performs a tremendous amount of community service. He has served as a Board Member of the Cathedral City Boys and Girls Club and the Coachella Chamber of Commerce, Membership Committee Chair for the Cathedral City Rotary Club, and pro bono counsel for the former Palm Springs Youth Center. Mr. Quintanilla has also provided pro bono legal services to the Palm Springs Police Athletics League and the Desert Hot Springs Cabot’ Museum Foundation. Mr. Quintanilla’s community service has been widely recognized throughout Riverside County . Mr. Quintanilla was recognized as "Man of the Year" by the Cathedral City Boys and Girls Club, he was awarded a "Sol Azteca" by La Prensa Hispana--which is the largest Spanish language newspaper in Riverside County-- for his contributions to the Latino community, he was profiled by the Inland Empire Press Enterprise’s Business Press and the Public Record for his unique and effective style of public service, he received the 2002 "President’s Award" for his non-profit community involvement from the Coachella Valley Mexican American Chamber of Commerce, and he was profiled in 2002 by the Desert Sun Newspaper as one of the 75 most influential residents in the Coachella Valley. Mr. Quintanilla has also received numerous certificates of recognition for his contributions to the community from the former Governor of California and every regionally elected official representing the Coachella Valley.