Mina Arasteh
Overview
Mina Arasteh is an Associate in the Land Use and Environmental Law Practice Group at Meyers Nave. Mina’s practice focuses on guiding public agencies, private entities and public-private partnerships through the complex web of local, state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to environmental protection and land use.
Mina has achieved successful outcomes for Tribal governments, municipalities, nonprofits and legal aid organizations in matters of cultural resource protection, Tribal consultation, affordable housing, and environmental review. She sees each matter as an opportunity to build an enduring relationship with clients, earning trust by providing effective, efficient, and consistent legal services in a personable and timely manner.
Mina has prior experience working with state environmental agencies as well as high-profile regional law firms specializing in environmental and Native American law. She has extensive experience handling matters arising under CEQA, the California Coastal Act, NEPA, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Clean Water Act and related federal environmental laws.
In law school, Mina conducted research for Professor Richard Frank and the California Environmental Law and Policy Center and served as a senior articles editor for the Environs Environmental Law and Policy Journal.
Representative Experience
- Represent Acjachemen Tongva Land Conservancy in negotiations with Coastal Commission counsel for culturally appropriate consent agreement; advised and counseled client on protecting sacred land and cultural resources
- Advised and counseled Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy in securing entitlements for Huhuunga land transformation following Eaton fires; actualized client’s vision for property by leveraging post-fire streamlining and local municipal code to deliver necessary permits.
- Represent Center for Natural Lands Management in Coastal Act litigation to ensure protection of endangered species threatened by recreational usage of conservation property; draft memoranda and pleadings, negotiate with opposing counsel
- Advise and counsel Southwest Resources Management Association in matters related to land conservation easements, agreements and transfers; non-profit organization pursuant to state Corporations Code; draft endowment management agreements, board policies and resolutions
- Advise and counsel California Public Utilities Commission by providing legal review of Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for multiple transmission line and substation projects; provide guidance on regulatory compliance with CEQA’s tribal consultation and impact mitigation requirements in areas of high sensitivity.
- Advise and counsel San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) in preparation of their 2025 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS), providing legal review of the RTP/SCS EIR to ensure regulatory compliance with transportation planning, environmental, and land use regulations.
- Provide legislative guidance and consultant services to public and private sector clients; draft memos related to legislation of interest and propose amendments as appropriate
- Represent Riverside County University Health Systems (RUHS) with the Mead Valley Wellness Village Project, a $250 million behavioral health facility, with real estate services including project funding and property management agreements, public utility easements, and analysis of matters related to Public Private Partnership (P3) arrangements
- Represented buyers in commercial and residential real estate transactions; revised purchase agreements, analyzed preliminary title reports and prepared title objection letters
- Advised and counseled municipal sanitation district in threatened litigation related to alleged groundwater contamination from historical dry-cleaning operation; drafted memoranda analyzing liability under tort theories, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
- Represented City of Oxnard in consent decree negotiations with US EPA related to de minimis CERCLA liability for historical municipal waste facility
- Represented City of Modesto in ensuring compliance with settlement order related to sanitary sewer overflow; drafted letters and reports to State Water Quality Control Board; concurrently represent client in preparing indemnification and access agreements related to soil vapor remediation
- Advised and counseled Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) in negotiation of refueling lease amendments.
Honors and Awards
- Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, Environmental Law
Section of the California Lawyers Association (2019)
- Dean’s Merit Scholar, UC Davis School of Law (2018-2021)
Presentations and Publications
- Presenter, “Achieving Successful Tribal Consultation Outcomes While Working to Eliminate Bias,” CLE International CEQA Conference, December 9, 2025
- Co-Author, “Land Use Chapter, California Environmental Law & Policy: A Practical Guide,” 3rd edition
- Author, “California Enacts Landmark Housing and Infrastructure Reform — Major CEQA Streamlining, Permitting Acceleration, and Funding Tools Now Law,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, July 1, 2025
- Author, “Court of Appeal Publishes First Opinion Addressing Assembly Bill 52, Concluding City Failed to Meaningfully Consult with Tribe,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, March 17, 2025
- Author, “Governor Newsom’s Emergency Proclamation Fast-Tracks Wildfire Prevention Projects,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, March 7, 2025
- Author, “AB 98 Enacts Statewide Standards for Logistics Use Warehouses,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, October 11, 2024
- Author, “2024 California Developers’ Toolkit: Density Bonus Law, Housing Laws, & Strategies for Success,” October 2024
- Author, “Supreme Court’s Ruling in Grants Pass Allows Cities to Consider Use of Camping Bans as Policy Tool,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, July 8, 2024
- Co-Author, “First District Court Finds Costa-Hawkins Does Not Exempt Individually Rented Rooms in the Same Single Family Home From Local Rent Control Provisions: Owens v. City of Oakland Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board, 49 App.5th 739, Case No. A157663 (1st Dist. May 29, 2020), 29 Cal. L. & Pol’y Rep. 10 275, 294-295.”
- Presenter, “Public records versus newspaper reporting as sources for local-level environmental policy networks: An automated process for comparing secondary sources,” UC Davis Center on Environmental Policy and Behavior, 2017 Political Networks Conference and Workshops, June 2017
- Author, “Green Purchasing Policy,” Town of Moraga Climate Action Plan, October 2014
Affiliations
- The State Bar of California, Member
- California Indian Law Association, Member
- California Lawyers Association – Environment Law Section: Co-Chair, Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Committee; Member, Legislative Committee
Education
- University of California at DavisJD, 2021
- University of California at DavisBA, 2017
