HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - July 18, 2007 E-28AGENDA ITEM r&4r&9
08% CITY OF LODI
COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
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AGENDA TITLE: Consent to Continued Representation of City of Lodi and Northern California
PowerAgency — CT1 Project Sale from Lodi to Roseville.
MEETING DATE: July 18, 2007 City Council Meeting
PREPARED BY: City Attorney's Office
RECOMMENDED ACTION: That the City Council grant their consent to the continued
representation of the City of Lodi and Northern California Power
Agency by Meyers Nave for the CT1 Project Sale from Lodi to
Roseville.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Meyers Nave is General Counsel to the Northern California Power
Agency. They also represent the City of Lodi on a continuing basis
in connectionwith Land Use and Development issues. Lodi is
currently attempting to sell its interest in the CTI Project to Roseville and Meyers Nave will represent
NCPA in a position that by definition is opposed to Lodi. Because Meyers Nave's involvement in NCPA
is completely unrelated to the other work performed on behalf of the City of Lodi, I see no potential for
actual conflict and recommend Council grant me the authorityto execute the attached Conflict Waiver.
Approved:
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FISCAL IMPACT: NIA
FUNDING AVAILABLE: NIA
APPROVED:
BlairKfra,q-,-`tfty Manager
m e y e r s nave riback silver & Wilson Steven
Attorney ataLaw
professional low corporation 415.421-3711
JUN 13 2007
June 8,2007
CR'YATTORNEY'S OFFiC6
D. Stephen Steve Schwabauer, City Attorney of Lodi
Office of the City Attorney
P.O. Box 3006
Lodi, CA95241-1910
RE: Consent to Continued Representation of City of Lodi and Northern California PowerAgency
— CT1 Project Sale from Lodi to Roseville
Dear Steve,
As you are aware, we act as the General Counsel to the Northern California PowerAgency. In that capacity
we have been asked by NCPA to provide advice to it regarding the potential sale or transfer of the interests
in the NCPA CTI Projectthat is owned by the City of Lodi to the City d Roseville. The City of Lodi, of
course, is also a client of our firm, albeit in matters unrelated to the CT1 Project. In advising NCPA
regarding this sale, there may be matters which create either actual or potential conflicts of interest between
the interests of NCPA and those of Lodi, and the interests and objectives of NCPA and Lodi relating to the
CT 1 Project sale either are or may become inconsistentwith each other. The purpose of this letter is to
disclose this relationship and situation to you, and to seek the City's informed, written consent to our
continued representation of NCPA with respect to the CT1 Project Sale as well as our continued
representation of Lodi in the land use and CEQA matters for which we have been retained.
As attorneys, we are governed by specific rules relating to our representation of clients when present or
potential conflicts of interest exist. Rule 3-310(B) of the California Rules of Professional Conduct provides in
part:
"A member [attorney] shall not accept or continue representation of a client without providing written
disclosure to the client where:
(1) The member has a legal, business, financial, professional, or personal relationship with a party
or witness in the same matter...."
Rule 3-310(C) of the Rules provides in part:
"A member shall not, without the informed written consent of each client:...
(3) Represent a client in a matter and at the same time in a separate matter accept as a client a
person or entity whose interest in the first matter is adverse to the client in the first matter."
575 Market Street, Suite 2600 1 San Francisco. California 94105 1 tel415.421.3711 I fax 415.421.3767 www.meyersnave.com
OAKLAND • SANTA ROSA • SACRAMENTO 0 SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGELES
June 8,2007
Page 2
At the present time, we believe we can competently represent both NCPA and Lodi. The matter in which we
currently provide advice to Lodi relates to certain land use, CEQA and development issues, including those
where PG&E claims a right to serve electricity in newly developing or newly annexed areas of the City,
Lodi's interests in that matter are aligned with those of NCPA which also believes that publicly owned
utilities should be able to annex territory and provide electric service to that territory. As you are aware,
these matters are mostly complete. We do not represent Lodi in any matter in which the proposed CT1
Project Sale is either directly or indirectly involved.
Lodi remains free, of course, to seek independent counsel with respect to this matter. If you have any
questions about this letter, you should discuss them with independent counsel before signing the consent
below. If Lodi consents to Meyers Nave continuing to represent it in the land use and CEQA matters, while
simultaneously representing NCPA in the CTI Project matter, please sign where indicated below and return
the signed copy of this letter to my attention.
If you have any other questions, please call me at your convenience. We look forward to representing Lodi
in the future.
Very truly yours,
MEYERS, NAVE, RIBACK, SILVER & WILSON
Steve Mattas
CONSENT TO CONTINUED REPRESENTATION:
On behalf of the City of Lodi, I consent to Meyers Nave continuing to represent the City of Lodi in matters
not directly related to the proposed CT1 Project Sale from City of Lodi to the City of Roseville, while
simultaneously representing NCPA in the CT1 Project Sale.
D. Stephen Schwabauer, City Attorney
cc. Benjamin T. Reyes, Esq.
Michael F. Dean, Esq.
Lord Fien, Conflicts/Calendaring Manager
955739-1
Proposed Amendment to the Northern California PowerAgency Joint Powers Agreement
(RevisedApril 1, 1973)
Existing text:
Article 111 Powers and Functions
Section 2.
The manner in which the NCPA, the administering agency, shall exercise its powers and perform
its duties is and shall be subject to the restrictions upon the manner in which a general law city
which is a member hereof could be subject to any restrictions applicable to the manner in which
any other public agency could exercise such powers or perform such duties, whether such agency
is a party to this Agreement or not.
Proposed Amendment
Article Ill Powers and Functions
Section 2.
The manner in which the NCPA, the administering agency, shall exercise its powers and perform
its duties is and shall be subject to the restrictions upon the manner in which a general law city
which is a member hereof could be subject to any restrictions applicable to the manner in which
any other public agency could exercise such powers or perform such duties, whether such agency
is a party to this Agreement or not. EXcept that NCPA's Commission may adopt, by resolution.
rules for the construction of public works projects for the generation and transmission of electric
ower and energy that allow such works to be contracted to the lowest responsible bidderwhere
the expenditure exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250.0001.
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