Anthony D.
Amara

Representative Experience

• County of Calaveras – Battery Energy Storage Development and Community Benefits. Negotiating and drafting the development and community-benefit agreements for two utility-scale battery energy storage projects totaling roughly 1,600 megawatt-hours, structured to deliver millions of dollars in local contributions and public benefits to the County.
• City of Rancho Cordova. Serve as general counsel across day-to-day municipal enforcement and major economic-development deals—representing the City at administrative hearings, negotiating settlements, enforcing the city code, and counseling City Council members and staff on the political-law framework governing their decisions, from the new campaign-contribution restrictions under SB 1439 to conflict-of-interest rules under the Political Reform Act, Government Code Section 1090, and common law, along with the accompanying financial disclosure obligations. Projects and matters include:
  • Draft the agreements behind the City’s AI and Robotics Innovation Ecosystem, pairing local infrastructure and a growing talent pipeline with global technology partners.
  • Draft the tax-sharing and land-disposition agreements for a major Arena and Entertainment District, featuring a layered revenue-sharing structure spanning sales tax, transient occupancy tax, cardroom revenue, a Mello-Roos community facilities district, and an enhanced infrastructure financing district.
  • Negotiate the purchase-and-sale, environmental mitigation, and affordable housing agreements for Mather Veterans Village—70 units for senior and disabled veterans and homeless families—including more than $30 million in state and federal funding such as Homekey+.
  • Draft the development agreement for Mills Crossing, a mixed-use, transit-oriented public-private partnership with a community arts center, health and wellness center, 100 residential units, and public plaza.
  • Advise on Asteria Flats, a 236-unit affordable housing development, including a $5 million city-supported loan agreement and associated closing documents.
• Sand City. Advise the City on coastal development and public-access matters that balance private investment against community and environmental benefits, and guide the City Council through its open-government and political-law obligations, including Brown Act compliance and the new teleconference requirements under Assembly Bill 2449. Projects and matters include:
  • Draft and negotiate agreements with neighboring jurisdictions for the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, closing a critical one-mile gap in the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail within a railroad right-of-way owned by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.
  • Negotiate and draft the Monterey Bay Shores Eco-Resort development agreement, a roughly 1.3-million-square-foot mixed-use, visitor-serving resort, securing major public benefits including dune restoration and local art programs.
  • At 501 Ortiz Avenue, draft and negotiate the purchase and sale agreement for property used as part of City Art Park, and negotiate a commercial lease for a local business—work that also involves guiding the City through Surplus Land Act compliance on the disposition of City-owned property.
• City of Salinas. Counsel the City on real estate development and housing-policy matters alongside the City Attorney’s office and City staff. This includes:
  • Negotiate the Corporate Center Disposition and Development agreement for a mixed-use project anchored by a corporate campus for a major local employer, including the disposition of City-owned land.
  • Draft the City’s rent control, just-cause eviction, tenant protection, and anti-harassment ordinances, balancing landlord and tenant interests while navigating state and federal law.
  • Assist staff in processing SB 330/Density Bonus Law applications, ensuring compliance with state housing law and managing developer applications.
• City of Modesto. Manage the operations and land use/real estate permitting of commercial cannabis operations in the city and stay up to date with all changes to the law. Prepare cybersecurity provisions for use in new contracts with the City and negotiate modifications to existing contracts as necessary. Provide guidance on election issues, including state and local requirements, to the City Clerk’s office.
• Eastern Plumas Rural Fire Protection District. Consult with the district in order to stop consolidation with the county and offer advice on other issues related to LAFCO including plan for dissolution and continuation of services.
• Advised a Northern California developer on LAFCO annexation issues and related zoning matters in connection with a large residential development.