Leah S. Goldberg

Overview

Leah Goldberg specializes in sustainable re-use and redevelopment of contaminated properties. She works with developers, responsible parties, public agencies and regulators to develop brownfields agreements and strategies. Leah negotiated the first California Land Reuse and Revitalization Act Agreements with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and a California Regional Water Quality Control Board.
 
A leading attorney in this area of law, Leah has developed numerous winning brownfields strategies. She regularly advises on all aspects of the Polanco Redevelopment Act; negotiates Prospective Purchaser Agreements and Comfort Letters; negotiates environmental insurance policy language; drafts and negotiates risk transfer agreements; and helps to obtain brownfields’ funding.
 
In addition, Leah practices general environmental, land use law and real estate law. She has successfully appealed Underground Storage Tank (UST) Cleanup Fund denials and drafted On Behalf Of Agreements and Assignment Agreements of UST Cleanup Fund rights. She also addresses issues arising out of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, stormwater permits, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, hazardous substances and waste, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, land use entitlements, the Endangered Species Act, Section 404 Wetlands permits, the Coastal Act, environmental insurance, and landfill regulation and closure.
 
Leah has represented transit agencies in acquiring property, as well as advising on environmental compliance issues including hazardous waste disposal, Clean Air Act issue, cleanup of contaminated properties and sustainability issues. Prior to joining Meyers Nave, Leah represented the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, SamTrans (including BART projects), the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, Caltrain, the San Joaquin Council of Governments, and the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (now Alameda Corridor – East Construction Authority).
 
Leah is active in several professional associations. She chairs the CEQA/Environmental Issues Subgroup of the League of California Cities’ Post Redevelopment Working Group and is also involved with the Women’s Transportation Seminar and the Department of Toxic Substances Control Brownfields Restoration Advisory Group.  She is past-chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco Environmental Law Section. In addition, Leah speaks frequently for organizations throughout California including the California Redevelopment Associations, the Association of Environmental Professionals, and Bar Associations.
 
Leah is admitted to practice in California, Colorado and the District of Columbia.

Presentations and Publications

  • Speaker, “Tools for Brownfields Remediation,” Meyers Nave Webinar, 2012
  • Speaker, “Stop the Bulldozers; This Dirt is Dirty—Reuse of Contaminated Properties,” CEB Land Use Program, 2006; Sonoma County Bar Association, 2008; North Bay Redevelopment Group, 2011
  • Speaker, “Introduction to the Polanco Redevelopment Act,” Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board; Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, ; Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board; Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, ; Los Angeles Regional Quality Control Board from 1999-2010.
  • Speaker, “State and Federal Voluntary Cleanup Programs,” Reclaiming the Sierra, Mining’s Toxic Legacy Conference, November 2010.
  • Speaker, “The Polanco Redevelopment Act, A Special Tool in Your Agency’s Toolbox,” California Redevelopment Agency Distance Learning Program, 2010
  • Speaker, “Drafting and Negotiating Risk Shifting Provisions in Purchase and Sale Agreements, OPAs and DDAs,” California Redevelopment Association-Redevelopment Institute, 2009 and 2010
  • Speaker, “Say What? Avoid Surprises with Brownfields Property Transactions,” California Redevelopment Association Annual Conference, 2009
  • Speaker, “Innovative Approaches to Public/Private Brownfields Remediation,” Association of Environmental Professionals Annual Conference, 2008
  • Speaker, “Environmental Risk Shifting—It Is All In the Wrist,” California Redevelopment Association Legal Issues Symposium, 2008
  • Speaker, “AB 389: A Brownfields Program Worth Renewing?” Bar Association of San Francisco Environmental Law Section, 2008
  • Speaker, “Deal Stoppers and How to Solve Them,” U.S. EPA Conference on Nuts and Bolts of Brownfields Redevelopment, 2008
  • Speaker, “Redevelopment Teams, Partnering with Redevelopment Agencies for Brownfield’s Reuse in Southern California,” Meyers Nave Public Law Breakfast Series, 2008
  • Speaker, “Mixing and Matching Brownfields Tools on Complex Sites,” California Redevelopment Association Annual Conference, 2007
  • Speaker, “Take a Look Around - Environmental Due Diligence, All Appropriate Inquiry,” Bay Area City Attorneys Luncheon, 2006
  • Speaker, “Deal or No Deal,” CRA Legal Issues Symposium, 2006
  • Speaker, “Environmental Due Diligence, All Appropriate Inquiry,” Meyers Nave Public Law Breakfast Series, 2006
  • Speaker, “Hot Topics in Brownfields Reuse.” CRA Annual Conference, 2006
  • Speaker, “Successful Teams Partnering with Redevelopment for Brownfields’ Reuse in the Central Valley?” Meyers Nave Public Law Breakfast Series, 2006
  • Author, “An Ounce of Prevention Could be Worth Millions,” The Transportation Lawyer, 2003
  • Author, “Brownfields,” Handbook of Environmental Science, Health and Technology, First Edition, McGraw Hill, 2000
  • Author, “Polanco Act, Can It ‘Save’ Your City?” Redevelopment Journal, 1998
  • Author, “How Do Redevelopment Agencies Spell Relief? The Polanco Act,” Redevelopment Journal, 1997
  • Author, “Is Re-use of Contaminated Properties a Pie-in-the-Sky Idea?” Clearwater Group Inc., 1997
  • Author, “Public Litigation Update,” League of California Cities, City Attorney’s Department, 1996

Professional and Community Affiliations

  • Member, The State Bar of California
  • Chair, CEQA/Environmental Issues Subgroup of the League of California Cities’ Post Redevelopment Working Group
  • Member, Women’s Transportation Seminar
  • Member, DTSC: Brownfields Restoration Advisory Group
  • Member, California Redevelopment Association, Brownfields Committee and Sustainability Committee
  • Past Chair and Current Member, Bar Association of San Francisco, Environmental Law Section Executive Committee
  • Member, American Bar Association, Environment, Energy and Resources Sections
  • Member, The State Bar of California, Environmental Law Section
  • Member, The Colorado Bar
  • Member, The District of Columbia Bar

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, JD, Tony Patino Fellow, 1991
  • Colorado State University, BA, Political Science, 1985