D. WAYNE BRECHTEL
Public Agency, Real Estate, Land Use & Environmental Law
email: dwb@wordenwilliams.com

D. Wayne Brechtel leads the firms' Public Agency, Real Estate and Land Use Department. Mr. Brechtel, along with the Department team, assists public and private clients on matters involving land ownership, development and regulation, including environmental laws.

Mr. Brechtel has litigated complex land use and environmental cases in state and federal courts since being admitted to the bar in 1989. He is an expert on the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") and has successfully prosecuted and defended numerous legal challenges to the adequacy of environmental impact reports. Most recently, Mr. Brechtel successfully defended a legal challenge to the environmental impact report for the 150-acre San Dieguito Coastal Wetlands Restoration Project.

Mr. Brechtel assists with all aspects of land purchase and sale transactions and helps clients prepare and understand land use documents, such as purchase agreements, easements and deed restrictions. He also helps landowners successfully navigate the complex rules and regulations of local and regional agencies, including cities, counties, the Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California State Lands Commission, the California Department of Fish and Game, and others. Mr. Brechtel frequently represents clients at public hearings and has appeared before most local agencies in San Diego County.

Mr. Brechtel represents a wide variety government and private clients. He is General Counsel for the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space Park Joint Powers Authority and the Leucadia Wastewater District. He provides special counsel services to the San Diego County Water Authority and San Diego Convention Center Corporation. Other current and past public agency clients include the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority, the North San Diego County Transit Development Board (NCTD), and the City of Chula Vista. Mr. Brechtel also represents major environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity in environmental litigation matters.

Mr. Brechtel has lectured and written on a variety of government, land use, and environmental law topics, including CEQA, the California Coastal Act, Endangered Species Act, and public trails. He is a member of the State and Local Government Law Section of the American Bar Association, and the Environmental Law and Public Law Sections of the California State Bar Association.

Mr. Brechtel is a volunteer host for Del Mar Community Connections and is also a volunteer public representative on the UCSD Social and Behavioral Sciences Human Subjects Committee.

EDUCATION:
   Legal:
      - University of San Diego School of Law, Juris Doctor Degree, 1989
   Undergraduate:
      - University of LaVerne, Bachelor of Sciences Degree in
        Business Administration, 1985

MEMBERSHIPS AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES:
   - American Bar Association, State and Local Government Law Section
   - California State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section
   - California State Bar Association, Public Law Section