DAPEER ROSENBLIT LITVAK LLP
LAWY E R S
WILLIAM LITVAK*
STEVEN H. ROSENBLIT
KENNETH B. DAPEER
JAMES C. ECKART
PATRICIA H. FITZGERALD
ERIC P. MARKUS
BRANDON SANCHEZ
ARIA GUILANI
*MANAGING PARTNER
June 28, 2023
Quinn Barrow
City Attorney
City of Manhattan Beach
c/o Richards, Watson & Gershon
350 South Grand Avenue
37th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Re: Proposal for City of Manhattan Beach
Dear Mr. Barrow:
I I 500 W. OLYMPIC BLVD., SUfTE 550
LOS ANGELES. CA 90064-1 524
TELEPHONE (3 I 0) 477-5575
FACSIMILE (310) 477-7090
WRITER'S EMAIL
WLIT [email protected]
Via Mail and Email: [email protected]
We are pleased to provide our firm's proposal code enforcement prosecution and related services to the City of Manhattan Beach ("City").
Introduction:
Dapeer Rosenblit & Litvak, LLP ("DRL") has been providing code enforcement services to the throughout Southern California since 1979. During that time, we have assisted the Cities with criminal prosecution services, ordinance review and consulting, civil code enforcement proceedings, receiverships (both Health and Safety Code and general receivership proceedings), administrative proceedings, civil litigation and specialty services. We regularly file criminal complaints and civil actions to address violations of the municipal code and to abate public nuisances. We also utilize inspection and abatement warrants to gain access to investigate and abate illegal conditions.
We have a thorough and complete knowledge of the structure and content of municipal codes used by cities in the same geographical area as the City as applicable to both municipal corporations and charter cities. We are also knowledgeable and experienced in the Brown Act and the Public Records Act, California and Federal Constitutional issues applicable to the enforcement of municipal law. We are also expert in all technical codes adopted by the State of California, including the Building Code, the Fire Code, the Plumbing Code, the Electrical Code, the Dangerous Buildings Code, the Housing Code. DRL's attorneys regularly teach code enforcement substantive and procedural law throughout California and participate in training programs for code compliance professionals.
Quinn Barrow
City Attorney
June 28, 2023
0APEER, ROSENBLIT & LITVAK LLP
We are also familiar with Community Development Block Grant ("CDBG") programs and have worked with and been authorized to represent constituent cities by Joint Powers Authorities and ICRMA.
Professionals:
Overall supervision of code enforcement services is the responsibility of the managing partner of the firm, William Litvak. The lead partner related to all criminal prosecutions is managed by Jim Eckart.
William Litvak has been a trial lawyer for over 40 years, the past thirty of which have including code enforcement and municipal litigation services. He has tried numerous cases, both jury and non-jury, both generally and specifically related to code enforcement services. He has appeared before the California State Supreme Court, the California Courts of Appeal, the United States Districts Courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is licensed by the California State Bar, the Federal District Courts for all districts in California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He has been awarded an "AV" rating from the Martindale-Hubbell, a peer reviewed lawyer registry and has been designated a "Super Lawyer" for Southern California. He has additionally served as an arbitrator, settlement officer, and judge pro tern for the Los Angeles Superior Court, and has been an instructor, guest speaker, and/or lecturer on such topics as medical marijuana dispensaries, "red light" (gambling and prostitution) nuisance abatement, narcotics nuisance abatement, injunctions and receiverships, and red-light photo enforcement. Mr. Litvak was selected to represent all of the member cities of the California Contract Cities Association in a contractual dispute with the County of Los Angeles related to a multimillion-dollar contract for sheriff services. Mr. Litvak is a graduate of the University of California where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree and California Western School of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate degree. He also attended the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
James Eckart, partner, has spent the past 23 years (both as a City Prosecutor and with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office) criminally prosecuting individuals who violate State and local laws. He has been an instructor, guest speaker, and/or lecturer for numerous Police Departments, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, Code Enforcement Officer associations, Los Angeles County Health Department, and other governmental personnel on investigation techniques, search & seizure issues, report writing, and court procedures and testimony. Mr. Eckart s erves as an adjunct faculty member of Santiago Canyon College, teaching courses on public policy and legal aspects of law enforcement. Mr. Eckart has also authored and presented training to over 300 City Attorneys (through the League of California Cities) on how to successfully prosecute municipal code violations. Additionally, Mr. Eckart regularly drafts ordinances and/or revisions to municipal code provisions to ensure clients have the most up-to-date tools available to tackle issues arising within their jurisdiction. Mr. Eckart received his