Legal Alerts Jan 06, 2021
Court Confirms FPPC's Authority to Punish Public Agencies That Spend Undisclosed Public Money to Influence Voters at Elections
California Trial Court Rules on Campaign-Related Public Spending
Of Counsel
San Diego
655 West Broadway,
15th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101
Office (619) 525-1300
Fax (619) 233-6118
Gary heads the Government Policy & Public Integrity practice.
He served as trial counsel for the Commission on Judicial Performance.
Gary is an active member of the California District Attorneys Association, lecturing and authoring articles for the association.
As head of Best Best & Krieger’s Government Policy & Public Integrity practice, Gary W. Schons counsels public agencies, officials and private businesses who wish to promote public confidence in their decision-making processes by ensuring that official conduct is above reproach. The group’s goals are to:
Gary is also affiliated with BB&K’s ARC: Advanced Records Center, which provides comprehensive and cost-effective support for records-related matters, including California Public Records Act request processing.
Prior to joining BB&K, Gary served as deputy district attorney and senior advisor for Law & Policy in the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. In this role, he advised the District Attorney and her executive staff on legal, public integrity, legislative and policy issues and provided legal assistance to all 300 deputy district attorneys in the office.
From 2010-2016, Gary served as trial counsel for the Commission on Judicial Performance. He was responsible for conducting all formal proceedings initiated by the Commission to impose discipline on judges and other judicial officers in California.
From 1976-2011, Gary was a member of the Criminal Division of the California Attorney General’s Office in San Diego. During his career there, he served as deputy attorney general in the Appeals, Writs & Trial Section, in the Special Prosecutions Unit and as head of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit, which he established. Gary was cross-designated as a special assistant United States Attorney in the Central and Southern districts of California. In 1991, the Attorney General promoted Gary to senior assistant attorney general and head of the Criminal Division in San Diego. In that role, he supervised 75 deputy attorneys general who handled felony appeals and habeas corpus and trial matters, including numerous public integrity-related prosecutions. The office handled some 1,500 cases annually and was responsible for more than 200 death penalty appeals.
Gary is an active member of the California District Attorneys Association, lecturing and authoring articles for the association. He is also active in the San Diego County Bar Association, where he served on the Judicial Elections Evaluation and Legal Ethics committees. Gary is a long time member of the University of San Diego School of Law Board of Visitors and past president of the Law Alumni Association.
Gary is married to Judy Hagar Schons, a San Diego native. They live in the Talmadge neighborhood of the City. Gary was raised in West Covina where he attended Bishop Amat High School, before moving to San Diego for college. Gary is an avid cook and diner and contributes a column to the local newspaper on dining. He also enjoys golf and sailing.
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California Trial Court Rules on Campaign-Related Public Spending
California Court of Appeal Decision in School District Case Applies to Public Agencies
PublicCEO Article Examines California Precedent-Setting Bias Tainting Decision
Regulation Revision Clarifies Duty Applies Despite “Partial Absences”
BB&K's Gary Schons Discusses Controversial Use-of-Force Campaign in PublicCEO
California Appellate Court Provides Guidance
California Appellate Court Says Trustee Can be Held Personally Liable
Legislative Body Members Must be Neutral and Unbiased to Vote on Matters
Court of Appeal Holds Cities May Enact Various Forms of Residential Rent Control Measures
Ninth Circuit Dismisses Case Brought Against Alameda County for Zoning Requirements
Appellate Court Takes on “Home Rule” in City of Redondo v. Alex Padilla
Ninth Circuit Decision in Apartment-Condominium Conversion Program Dispute
California Appellate Court Invalidates Water District Board Election
California Appellate Court Looks to Local Ordinance’s Intention for Determination
California Appellate Court Says Charter City Cannot Block California Values Act
Calif. Supreme Court: San Diegans for Open Government v. Public Facilities Financing Authority of the City of San Diego
Amendments Adopted for Public Official Decisions Related to Nonprofit Gifts and Personal Financial Effects
Case Provides Valuable Guidance for Public Agencies Wanting One Contractor for Two Phases
FPPC Adopts Amended Regulations (Part 2)
FPPC Adopts Amended Regulations (Part 1)
Calif. Appellate Court Strikes Down SB 1107
Isaac Rosen, Ryan Guiboa and Gary Schons Write About 6th Circuit Ruling in Law360
California Appellate Court Decision in Preven v. City of Los Angeles
Seeking Legislation to Amend Political Reform Act
2019 Brings Changes to Election, Revenue, Conflict of Interest, Property and Public Safety Laws… and More
Ninth Circuit Holds That States Have an Important Interest in Preserving the Integrity of Their Political Institutions
School District Officials’ and Board Members’ Actions at Issue
First Amendment Issues and Social Media Accounts as Public Forums
BB&K's Gary Schons Writes in Law360 About Opinion on Ethics and Legal Conflicts for Attorneys as Elected Public Officials
Part III: Pasadena Police Officers Association v. City of Pasadena
Part II: Pasadena Police Officers Association v. City of Pasadena
Ninth Circuit Opinion in Unfair Competition Suit Seeking Civil Penalties
Anti-SLAPP Motion Successful in Dispute
Appellate Opinion Stems from Disputed Construction Permits
Ninth Circuit Decision on Nevada State Highway Patrol Prior Restraint Case
California Supreme Court Finds Public Record Exemptions Do Not Apply
California Appellate Court Orders City to Pay
By Gary W. Schons
By Gary W. Schons and Michael Maurer
California Voter Participation Rights Act
California Supreme Court Sets New Precedent for GC Section 1090
By Gary W. Schons and HongDao Nguyen
By Gary W. Schons
State Supreme Court Opinion Impacts Public Agencies
By Gary W. Schons
The California Supreme Court Tackles Public Records vs. Attorney-Client Privilege
California District Attorneys Association
Decision Expected Soon from California Supreme Court
California Appellate Court Finds Contract Void Under Government Code Section 1090
City Did Not Violate Brown Act
Elected Officials’ Free Speech Rights Analyzed
Only a Record Generated as Part of an Internal Investigation is Protected by Pitchess
BB&K Attorney Gary Schons Examines the Intersection of Technology, Law and Public Safety for Municipal Lawyer Magazine
BB&K Attorney Gary Schons Discusses Decision’s Implications for Public Officials in PublicCEO
By Gary W. Schons
Determining If Someone is “Charged” with Fiscal Responsibility is Key
Details of a Potential NFL Deal for Carson Not of Public Interest, Court Says
City’s Loss Illustrates Risks of Litigating Open Meeting Law Violation Claims
BB&K Attorney Gary Schons Examines Police Body Cameras From a Variety of Angles for the California District Attorneys Association's Prosecutor's Brief
Total Population, However, May Not Be the Only Standard Upon Which Voting Areas Can Be Based
Case Illustrates Why How a Measure is Worded Matters
Authorizing Relocated Ones Upheld by Court; Constitutional Challenges Rejected; Injunction Order to Remove Billboard Affirmed
Decision Comes in Short-Term Rental Ordinance Litigation
By Gary W. Schons
“Customer” Includes a Business or Corporation, Judge Rules
The Education Code and the Courts Have Established Rules and Regulations for Campuses
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