Qualifications
Professional neutral arbitrator, mediator, and hearing officer concentrating in labor and employment disputes.
Three decades experience representing public and private employers in labor negotiations and labor arbitrations, advice and counseling (including EEO matters, reasonable accommodation, wage and hour, protected concerted activity, whistleblower issues, California Labor Code, MMBA, HEERA, EERA, POBAR, FOBRA, transit acts, JPAs, Brown Act, and public integrity issues) and employment litigation (including civil rights, disparate treatment, disparate impact, unfair labor practice charges, wage and hour, class actions, administrative charges, and related proceedings).
Regularly investigated workplace misconduct allegations. Significant experience with public agencies, public safety, higher education, K-12, health care, transit, nonprofits, cultural institutions, performing arts, bioscience, utilities, and media.
Experience
San Francisco Democrats Special Committee on Sexual Assault and Harassment - Judicial Commissioner, April 2025 - present
San Francisco Civil Service Commission- Commissioner, 2013-2018; Vice President, 2015-2016; President, 2016-2017. Hearing officer for employee appeals of Human Resources Director decisions. Resolved appeals of employability restrictions, EEO determinations, employment eligibility, promotion denials, and conviction exclusions.
San Mateo Community College District - Hearing Officer, 2017.
Frequent neutral outside investigator of workplace misconduct claims. Investigated numerous allegations including sexual harassment, sexual assault, retaliation, discrimination, financial malfeasance and other various other allegations of workplace impropriety. Also investigated allegations of mismanagement, inadequate medical care, and ethical violations.
Recent Publications
California Supreme Court Holds Public Employers Exempt from Labor Code and PAGA, National Law Review, September 04, 2024
Fast Food Council Redux, National Law Review, December 21, 2023
Back to FAST Recovery: Business and Labor Reach Agreement, National Law Review, September 14, 2023
California Revives Industrial Wage Commission, National Law Review, July 12, 2023
Not so FAST – AB 257 on Hold Pending Voter Referendum in 2024, National Law Review, February 01, 2023
Preliminary Injunction GRANTED Against AB 257 Enforcement & Implementation, National Law Review, January 19, 2023
Temporary Restraining Order Against the FAST Recovery Act- National Law Review, January 06, 2023
California Supreme Court Cases Employers Should be Watching in 2023- National Law Review, December 21, 2022
Referendum Seeks to Send FAST Recovery Act to California Voters- National Law Review, September 12, 2022
Updated COVID-19 Quarantine Guidance for the Golden State- National Law Review, December 16, 2020
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Today’s Headlines Create Opportunities for Change for Employers, The Recorder, December 7, 2017
Presentations
Current Topics in Labor Negotiations, American Public Transportation Association Legal Conference, Phoenix, AZ, March 2025
Practice Before PERB, Webinar, February 2025
NLRB vs PERB: When PERB Follows NLRB Precedent and When It Does Not, California Public Employers Labor Relations Association (CALPELRA), Monterey, CA, November 2024
Labor Relations Issues in Healthcare (Panel), Workplace Horizons, Dana Point, CA, May 2023
Factfinding in a Volatile Time (Panel), California Lawyers’ Association Public Sector Conference, May 2023
Arbitrating Vaccine Mandates, Webinar, April 2023
DIscipline and Performance Management, Webinar, 2023
Urban Mass Transportation Act Basics, Webinar, 2022
The FAST Act, Webinar, 2022
The Rise in Employee Activism, Corporate Counsel Conference, New York, NY, November 2022
Cultivating Professional Relationships with Labor, CALPELRA, Monterey, CA, November 2020
What’s a Reasonable Accommodation During COVID-19?, Webinar, June 2020
Poorly Performing Employees - The Ultimate Challenge, CALPELRA, Monterey, CA, November 2019
Prior Employment
Jackson Lewis, P.C., Equity Principal, July 2019 – April 2025
Meyers Nave, P.C., Equity Principal, Labor & Employment Practice Group Leader, April 2015 – July 2019
Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass, LLP, Of Counsel, January 2012 – April 2015
San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, Deputy City Attorney, Labor Team, June 2001 – December 2011
Howard Rice Nemerovsky Canady Falk & Rabkin, Associate, 1998-2001
Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Associate, 1997- 1998
Honorable Sue L. Robinson, United States District Court, District of Delaware, Law Clerk, 1995-1997
United States Senator Bill Bradley, Assistant Communications Director, 1991-92
United States Peace Corps, Volunteer, Honduras, 1990
Education
Yale University, BA – 1989
University of Michigan, JD – 1995
Bar Association of San Francisco, Mediation Certification
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Becoming a Labor Arbitrator course
Professional Organizations and Civic Activities
Bar Association of San Francisco, ADR Section
Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, Marketing Committee, 50th Anniversary Committee
Arizona Democrats, Nevada Democrats, Poll observer
Various Campaigns, Election Phone bank volunteer
Election Protection, Volunteer voter hotline telephone staffer