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Board Member Bio

Donna Jones, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Donna D. Jones is a partner in the Real Estate, Land Use and Environmental Practice Group at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP’s San Diego office. She has spent her legal career specializing in land use in San Diego, and is a registered lobbyist.  Her practice focusing on all aspects of compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as on advising and representing residential and commercial developers in all phases of the land use regulatory and entitlement process, including environmental compliance.  Her experience includes entitlement of master planned communities; urban infill, multi-family and mixed use developments; shopping centers; resort hotels; municipal solid waste landfill expansions; peaker power plants; and more. She also has defended developers in multiple CEQA actions, obtaining dismissals and successful resolution of the matters.  Jones also has experience in conducting land use due diligence, negotiating and drafting development agreements, and appearing before governmental agencies and commissions, including the California Coastal Commission.

Jones is very active in the community, serving as Chair of the Downtown San Diego Partnership in 2008, as well as chairing the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's Infrastructure Committee in 2007 and 2008, and chairing that Chamber's Legal Committee the two previous years.  She also has served on the Chamber's Public Policy, Government Interface and Land Use Committees.

Jones served as the Mayor's appointee to the Downtown Implementing Committee established by the San Diego City Council to monitor implementation of the Downtown Community Plan.  She served as Chair of the Financial Reform Subcommittee as the appointee of Council President Scott Peters, in the Mayor's Charter Review Commission, helping to develop the financial and other charter reforms that were ultimately approved by the voters of San Diego in June 2008.  Ms. Jones also has served on the City of San Diego's Historic Resources Board and its Wetland Advisory Board, and co-chaired the San Diego County Bar Association's Land Use and Environmental Law section.

In addition, Jones has been active in the Building Industry Association, serving as a member of its Land Use Working Group, its Metropolitan Legislative Committee, and various ad hoc committees.  Jones was appointed by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan Technical Advisory Group (ATAG), that is working to guide the preparation of the various Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans being prepared for San Diego County airports. Jones is a registered lobbyist with the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, and the San Diego Regional Airport Authority.