Alicia Guerra has developed a multi-disciplinary practice focused on local, state, and federal land use entitlement and permitting and environmental review for a broad sector of private industry, developers, and public agencies. Ms. Guerra’s practice often involves complex and controversial projects at all levels of the administrative process including due diligence, land use entitlements, development agreements, disposition and development agreements, permitting advice, and counsel for water resources, environmental compliance, and wetlands natural resources. She has handled all aspects of these substantive areas, from advising private and public sector clients regarding the applicability of the law, to guiding clients through the permitting and entitlement processes at the local, state or federal level. She advises clients on legal strategies for defensible entitlement and environmental review processes in the face of challenges from local, state and national environmental groups opposing projects.
Ms. Guerra provides assistance to residential developers and home builders of master planned residential and mixed use and golf course resort communities, life science companies and REITs, commercial enterprises, industrial companies, and public agencies in land development, entitlement, and environmental review and natural resources permitting processes. Her expertise includes the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Clean Water Act (including Sections 401 and 404), federal and state flood control statutes, California’s planning laws, and other state and federal laws governing the use of land, water, and other natural resources.
Ms. Guerra assists public and private clients with federal and state natural resources permitting under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts and the Federal Clean Water Act, including the Section 404 permitting and Section 7 consultation processes. She also assists clients with federal and state permitting of energy projects, flood control, reclamation and transportation projects. Her practice focuses on advising commercial/industrial developers, home builders, REITs, public and quasi-public agencies, and industrial and institutional companies in navigating the Clean Water Act and federal and state Endangered Species Acts and other State and Federal laws.
Due to her multi-disciplinary practice and her experience advising both public and private sector entities, Ms. Guerra also advises public agency clients in negotiating and drafting joint powers agreements for infrastructure projects in Northern California. Additionally, she advises both private and public sector entities in negotiating development agreements and disposition and development agreements during the entitlement and post-entitlement processes as such agreements govern the development and construction of major infrastructure.
Ms. Guerra was recognized by Super Lawyer Magazine as a Northern California Super Lawyer, a recognition she has received since 2014. In addition, she has been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law and Land Use and Zoning Law, for 2024-2026. Most recently, Ms. Guerra was recognized in the 2026 Legal 500 U.S. Elite rankings in the area of Real Estate.