Alene M. Taber

Alene Taber represents clients before planning commissions, city councils, administrative hearing boards and local agency formation commissions on land development and environmental matters. Ms. Taber has experience litigating in federal and state court, water and air quality cases, CEQA/NEPA cases, disapprovals of development projects, defending challenges to development projects, and land use-related constitutional and civil rights claims.

Ms. Taber is currently counsel representing Imperial County Air Pollution Control District, one of the successful parties, in the Quantification Settlement Agreement (“QSA”) Colorado River water litigation.  The QSA approved the nation’s largest water transfer and affects the Salton Sea.  Ms. Taber also advises the South Orange County Community College District (“SOCCCD”) regarding the development of the Advanced Technology Education Campus (“ATEP”) located in Tustin Legacy at the previous Marine Corps Air Station Tustin (MCAS).  Ms. Taber also advises land developers and government agencies on CEQA/NEPA compliance and obtaining entitlements and other approvals, companies that have air quality compliance issues, landowners with groundwater/soil contamination issues, land developers on fees and other exactions, citizen groups regarding sober living homes, and land developers on SB 375 (Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008) and greenhouse gas emissions issues.

Prior to joining Jackson DeMarco Tidus Peckenpaugh, Ms. Taber worked for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) for over twelve years. As a Senior Manager, she was responsible for managing the permitting and enforcement of certain facilities, overseeing the CEQA and socioeconomic analysis to support SCAQMD rulemaking activities, and managing the development of air quality rules including those affecting port facilities, petroleum facilities, aerospace, printing operations, spray painting, asbestos abatement, composting, and construction sites. Ms. Taber has experience with trading markets (RECLAIM), Title V permitting, public notification under AB 2588, indirect source regulations, and global warming issues.

Ms. Taber also was a city planner with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the City of Carson. While with SCAG, Ms. Taber worked on transportation and air quality issues. As a city planner, she processed land use entitlements and subdivision maps, drafted CEQA documents, and wrote several ordinances regulating parking, truck maneuvering, and commercial facilities.

Ms. Taber has taught air pollution issues in land use planning for the University of California, Irvine, Extension Program.

In addition to being admitted to the California Bar, she is a certified Land Use Planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners, and LEED Green Associate.

In 2005, Ms. Taber was named to the Rising Stars list by Southern California Super Lawyers magazine published by Law Politics Media, Inc. and Los Angeles magazine.