Frank A. Splendorio
Overview
Frank Splendorio is a Senior Associate at Meyers Nave in the Municipal and Special District Law Practice Group.
Frank currently serves as the City Attorney for the City of Atwater and the City of Plymouth, and Deputy City Attorney for the City of Rancho Cordova and City of Modesto. Frank’s first-hand public law experience includes serving as a Deputy City Attorney in the City Attorney’s Office of the City of Vallejo prior to joining Meyers Nave. In addition to advising on legal and regulatory matters affecting governance, decision-making, daily operations and long-term policy, Frank advises and defends municipalities, school districts and other public entities in a broad range of litigation, including civil rights issues, alleged wrongful conduct, construction disputes, and breach of contract.
Frank also assists cities with the planning, development and implementation of innovative projects, such as providing comprehensive legal guidance to help address a city’s homelessness crisis. Frank drafted legal documents for temporary and permanent homeless shelters and facilities that significantly improved services to the homeless community and reduced quality of life crimes. This successful and innovative project is recognized as a model solution for other cities and the State. Another example is creating an award‐winning code enforcement and prosecution program approach for a city, which includes working closely with a contract community prosecutor.
Frank regularly provides education, training and compliance programs to clients and associations on matters relating to the Brown Act, California Public Records Act, conflicts of interest, and AB 1234, among many others.
While in law school, Frank served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Marvin R. Baxter at the California Supreme Court and as a Judge Advocate General Corps intern for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Representative Experience
- City of Modesto – Attend City Council meetings and planning commission meetings; advise City departments, including community development, finance, economic development, municipal utilities (water, sewer, and stormwater), public safety, and solid waste; assist utilities and public works departments in the development and completion of large capital improvement projects, including all public contracting matters (bid protests, public contract code requirements, bidding and bonding, prevailing wage issues); advise on public finance and Proposition 218 matters; assist with handling construction disputes and CEQA issues; review, negotiate and draft City contracts and ordinances; guide the City’s work with industries regarding capacity and capacity banking issues; and work closely with an in‐house community prosecutor and legal secretary who process and prosecute approximately 1,000 code enforcement cases per year.
- City of Plymouth – Serve as primary general counsel for the City, including covering all City Council meetings and keeping the Council apprised of legal developments, assisting the City in the recruitment and hiring of a City Manager, advising on personnel issues, and assisting with CEQA matters.
- City of Rancho Cordova – Attend City Council meetings; advise the planning, building, code enforcement, and community development departments; serve as the lead attorney on all planning and land use matters; negotiate and draft development agreements and entitlements for large development projects; and serve as the lead attorney for code enforcement in prosecuting nuisance properties and enforcing the City’s cannabis cultivation ordinance.
- City of Vallejo – Provided advice and guidance to various departments on a wide range of issues, including the Public Records Act, code enforcement, and employment and personnel matters; defended the City in state and federal court on all matters, including civil rights matters and matters involving the City’s municipal authority; and provided risk management, insurance, indemnification, and strategic advice on all litigation, general liability and workers’ compensation matters.
- City of Atwater – Attend City Council and Planning Commission meetings; advise the Code Enforcement and Police Department on strategies for enforcement and cost recovery; assist in addressing a response to a burgeoning homeless community; prepare and conduct City‐wide training on contracts, procurement, and purchasing standards and requirements; assist in formulating strategy and negotiations for resolving contractual disputes with vendors; assist and advise finance department on improving collections efforts for late and unpaid utilities bills and maximizing cost recovery; work with the Police Department to improve processes for issuing nuisance citations; review, revise and update multiple contract templates; review and edit contract and devise procurement strategy for replacement of broken water valves and procurement and contracting for pavement rehabilitation; review the animal services contract with a County Sheriff’s Office and prepare and update the Animal Control ordinance; review, prepare and revise staff reports, resolutions and ordinances to the City Council; resolve disputes with purveyors of unpermitted donation bins; and review and revise the MOU with a County Office of Education regarding the School Resource Officer Program.
Presentations and Publications
- Presenter, “Required Ethics Compliance Training – AB1234,” California Special Districts Association webinar, January 2020
- Editor, Municipal Law Handbook (Chapter: Land Use), CEB, 2020
- Presenter, “Special District Stories and Lessons Learned from the Trenches,” California Special Districts Association Leadership Academy Conference, November 2020 (cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)
- Presenter, “Conflicts of Interest and FPPC Form 700,” California Special Districts Association Workshop, March 2020 (cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic)
- Reviewer, Municipal Law Handbook (Chapter: Public Contracting), CEB, 2019
- Presenter, “Transparency and Accountability: Updates on the Brown Act and Conflicts of Interest,” Board Secretary/Clerk Conference and Certificate Program, California Special Districts Association, 2019
Education
- University of California, Hastings College of the LawJD
- University of California at BerkeleyBA, 2004
