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The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo is currently seeking an exceptional leader to join their team as Court Commissioner.

Please view the online brochure for a detailed description of this position and instructions on how to apply: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFsRue2B9A/gkW8B7VpWsbhatJ_UfGToQ/view?utm_content=DAFsRue2B9A&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer

The Position

Superior Court of California, San Mateo County is seeking highly qualified individuals to fill one vacancy for a Court Commissioner. The appointment to this position shall be by the judges of the superior court and shall be under the general direction of the presiding judge.

Pursuant to California Rules of Court, candidates must have been admitted to practice law in California for at least 10 years or, on a finding of good cause by the presiding judge, for at least 5 years.

The commissioner’s duties include the subordinate judicial duties set forth in Code of Civil Procedure Section 259 which include but are not limited to conducting judicial hearings in a broad range of civil proceedings which may include family law, making findings of fact in traffic, small claims, and criminal proceedings and performing other subordinate judicial activities as may be conferred by law or by order of the court. The commissioner will be expected to perform duties in all of the following areas: criminal law, family law, traffic, small claims, and a broad range of civil proceedings.

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Experience as a hearing officer, judge pro-tem, or mediator.
• Experience with trial and hearing procedures and with the rules of evidence.
• Knowledge of court calendars.
• Demonstrated ability to present statements of law, fact and argument clearly and logically in written and oral form.
• Ability to manage a courtroom in a fair, courteous and efficient manner so as to promote respect for the judicial process.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with judicial officers, attorneys, court staff and various governmental agencies.
• Experience working effectively with the public, especially in stressful situations.
• Ability to work efficiently and with flexibility.
• Experience working in and with the citizenry of San Mateo County.
• Experience with the following court calendars: criminal (including arraignments and pretrial calendars), family (including child support and domestic violence restraining orders), traffic, small claims, and civil (including unlawful detainers).

Application/Examination

This is a limited term recruitment. Anyone may apply.Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

To apply for this exciting career opportunity, the following materials must be electronically submitted online at https://jobs.smcgov.org.

Resume

A cover letter that includes:

• Your name
• California State Bar Number
• Date of Admission to the State Bar
• Law School, Degree Awarded, Date
• Responses to Supplemental Questions

Tentative Recruitment Timeline

Close Recruitment: Thursday, April 25, 2024, 11:59 PM PST

Application Screening: Week of April 29 - May 2, 2024

Panel Interviews: Week of May 13, 2024

The San Mateo Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) is seeking well-qualified candidates for the position of Management Analyst. This position will serve an integral role in analysis, policy planning, regulatory and other functions of LAFCo.

Under general direction of the LAFCo Executive Officer, the Management Analyst will provide a wide variety of administrative, research, analytical, and work-flow support and other related tasks in support of the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) of San Mateo County; a variety of specialized studies of local government involving data collection and analysis, report preparation and public contact; develops, summarizes, and maintains administrative and fiscal records; foster cooperative working relationships County, cities and special districts and acts as liaison with various community, public, and regulatory agencies; and performs related work as required.

About LAFCo

LAFCo is an independent commission with jurisdiction over the boundaries of cities and special districts in San Mateo County. The Commission contracts with the County of San Mateo for staff services including the Executive Officer, Management Analyst, Clerk and Legal Counsel. The Management Analyst will work closely with County personnel in a variety of departments as well as city and special district personnel and the public. Examples of projects include processing city and special district annexation applications, preparing municipal service reviews and sphere of influence updates for cities and special districts and assisting property owners in the annexation application process. For more information please visit www.sanmateolafco.org

The Ideal Candidate should have the knowledge, skills and ability to and of:

• Knowledgeable of advanced principles and practices of public administration and program management.
• A politically astute, strategic thinker and planner.
• Able to analyze complex problems accurately, develop practical recommendations, and take appropriate action to resolve them.
• Able to develop and persuasively communicate to diverse audiences an innovative vision and to motivate others to achieve that vision.
• Open minded, creative, and comfortable with change.
• Firm, fair, and a responsive consensus builder.
• A quick learner that is able to work independently and as part of a small team.
• Basic principles and practices of local government administration and organization.
• Sources and availability of information; methods of report presentation as it relates to assigned work unit.
• Principles of financial administration, including public budgeting and reporting.
• Principles and practices of organizational analysis, performance reviews, and human resource planning.
• California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
• Analyze a wide variety of moderate to complex administrative/operational problems and make effective operational and/or procedural recommendations.
• Prepare clear and compelling staff reports and make presentations.
• Perform the full range of the assigned duties under minimal supervision.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in business administration, public administration, urban planning or a related field. At least one year of professional administrative experience is typically required at the Associate Management Analyst level, and at least 3 years for the Management Analyst level.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024, 11:59 PM PST

Application Screening: Week of April 22 - 25, 2024

Civil Service Panel Interview: May 8 and/or 9, 2024

Description

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is recruiting for the position of Assistant Counsel I/II in the Office of General Counsel. This position will focus primarily on civil prosecution of air quality violations, including cases seeking civil penalties and/or injunctive relief before the Air District’s administrative Hearing Board and in Superior Court. Experience prosecuting or defending such cases under air quality or other environmental laws, or in other similar enforcement contexts, is highly desirable. The position will also provide legal advice, counseling and representation on related legal issues arising under local, state and federal air pollution laws and regulations, including air quality permitting, development of new regulations, California Environmental Quality Act issues, contract drafting, administrative law issues, and civil rights compliance, among others. Many of the most pressing air quality issues the Bay Area faces relate to disproportionate air pollution burdens in historically disadvantaged communities, so experience and familiarity with environmental justice issues is desirable. This is a full-time, exempt, management position. There is currently one (1) vacancy.
 
About the Bay Area Air Quality Management District:

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the government agency responsible for protecting air quality in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Air District is tasked with regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the nine counties that surround San Francisco Bay: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southwestern Solano, and southern Sonoma counties. It is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors composed of locally elected officials from each of the nine counties. The Air District’s mission is to create a healthy breathing environment for every Bay Area resident, while protecting and improving public health, air quality and the global climate.
 
The Air District aims to achieve its mission through many strategic goals, including: reducing and eliminating health problems caused by air pollution, achieving and maintaining air quality standards, leading the Bay Area’s efforts to fight global climate change, creating high-quality regulatory programs, and applying environmental best practices in all operations. To do so, the Air District regulates air pollution emissions from stationary emission sources such as factories, refineries, and power plants, and from smaller facilities like gas stations and dry cleaners. The Air District ensures that such facilities comply with air pollution laws and regulations, provides incentives to replace older, higher-emitting vehicles and equipment with cleaner alternatives, and gives grants and provides outreach to encourage healthy clean air choices by businesses and consumers. The Air District implements these efforts with an equity focus, aiming to reduce air quality disparities and promote environmental justice by targeting local air pollution in overburdened communities.  
The Air District recognizes and values the contributions of every employee and works to sustain an environment where everyone is respected. We incorporate the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion within our decision-making strategies, policies, procedures, regulations, funding initiatives, public outreach, planning, and hiring.
 
About the Position:
 
Under direction, the position performs legal work of a routine to complex nature representing the Air District, provides advice and counsel to Air District management and staff, represents the Air District in court and administrative proceedings, and performs related work as assigned.
 
Distinguishing Characteristics:
 
Assistant Counsel I is the entry level in this specialized attorney series. It is designed to allow an experienced civil attorney to gain specific environmental law experience. This class is alternately staffed with Assistant Counsel II, and incumbents may advance to the higher level after gaining experience and demonstrating proficiency that meet the qualifications of the higher level class.
 
Assistant Counsel II is the journey level class of this specialized series, fully competent to perform a wide range of environmental law work. This class is responsible for providing effective legal counsel in complex and controversial environmental law matters. This class is distinguished from Senior Assistant Counsel in that the latter assists in administering and coordinating all phases of legal work for the Legal Division.

Examples of Duties for this Position

Prepares and tries routine to difficult cases, often involving a specialized body of law.

Represents the Air District in court and in administrative hearings before boards and commissions and state and federal agencies.

Investigates and prepares reports regarding claims by and against the Air District and recommends actions to be taken.

Advises Air District departmental management regarding Air District authority, jurisdiction, functions and operational procedures.

Researches legal problems and prepares opinions, briefs, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents.

Attends Air District departmental, board and commission meetings to provide legal advice on a variety of matters.

Reviews ordinances, resolutions, contracts and other documents for legal sufficiency; recommends modifications as required.

Maintains accurate records and files and compiles reports of work performed.

Monitors legal developments, including proposed legislation and court decisions; evaluates their impact on Air District operations and recommends appropriate action.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:
 
Assistant Counsel I: Equivalent to graduation from a college or university plus an appropriate law degree and two years of experience as an attorney engaged in the practice of law, preferably with a public agency and preferably involving environmental law and/or enforcement cases, although other relevant experience will be considered.
 
Assistant Counsel II: In addition to the above, two additional years of experience as an attorney engaged in the practice of law, preferably practicing civil environmental enforcement with a public agency in the State of California, although other relevant experience will be considered.
 
 Other Requirements:
 
 Must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of California at the time of hire.

How to Apply & Selection Criteria

HOW TO APPLY: 
Interested individuals must submit a completed application and the responses to the supplemental questions (including a writing sample) no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 20, 2024. Applications are also accepted online. Please visit our website at www.baaqmd.gov/jobs to apply or to download an application. Resumes are encouraged, but not mandatory, and may not be submitted in lieu of the required application materials. Postmarks, faxes, and E-mailed applications will not be accepted.
 
Except as requested in this announcement, do not include any additional documents, such as letters of recommendation, performance evaluations, etc. They will not be considered or returned.
 
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE INSTRUCTIONS: 
Individuals who apply for this position must respond to each of the supplemental questions. Both paper and online applications must be received by the Human Resources Office no later than the time and date specified in the vacancy announcement. The responses to the supplemental questions will be used in accordance with the procedures indicated under the Selection Criteria in the vacancy announcement.
 
Instructions: Please limit your responses to one page per question. Do not combine your responses, or reference your application, resume, or any other requested documentation that you have included with your application packet to answer a question. Please be advised that the information you provide will be evaluated “as is” and incomplete or illegible applications will likely receive lower ratings. Therefore, it is very important to provide a concise, organized, and easy to follow response to each question.
 
You must provide the following for each question regarding experience: The name of the employer where you gained your experience, your job title, length of time in years/months performing the specific function, and detailed examples that illustrate your duties and responsibilities.
 
SELECTION CRITERIA: 
Selection may be based upon a competitive examination consisting of a written exercise, interview, or combination of the two. Depending on the number of qualified applicants, an application screening and/or panel interview may be used to determine the most qualified applicants.
 
The Air District may hire from this recruitment process to fill future vacancies occurring within the next 18 months.
 
Updates regarding your status in the recruitment will be sent via email, unless you indicate a different preference on your application.
 
Persons with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations during the application and/or selection process should notify the Human Resources Office at (415) 749-4980.
 
 The Air District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer is seeking well-qualified candidates for the position of Principal Appraiser.  Principal Appraisers must have thorough knowledge of Property Tax and the Revenue and Taxation Code as it relates to Real Property Valuation, Change in Ownership reassessment or exclusion requirements, New Construction valuation, Decline in Value valuation, Property Classification, etc.
 
The department currently has two vacancies in the areas of Residential and Commercial real property appraisal and assessment.
 
The Principal Appraisers share a critical role in assisting the Chief Appraiser and Deputy Assessor in the completion of the Office's mission to determine the assessed value of all taxable property located in San Mateo County, the creation of the official record of taxable property (approximately 240,000 assessments each year in the local assessment roll), and the sharing of this information with the County Controller and Tax Collector and making it publicly available.
 
This is an exciting time for seasoned Principal Appraisers to join our dynamic team of Appraisal professionals. The Assessor's Office is currently involved in several major projects, including the development of a new Assessor's Property Assessment System (APAS), and the appraisal and assessment of several large-scale new generation commercial, manufacturing, research and development, and mixed-use developments being built throughout San Mateo County.  Principal Appraisers may be called upon to provide subject matter expertise in the development of the Assessor's Property Assessment System.

 

Examples Of Duties

The technically-savvy and experienced individuals hired for these positions will have the responsibility to supervise appraisal and exemption staff in the timely collection, processing, and analysis of valuation data for real, personal, tangible, and intangible property for tax assessment purposes, and to manage the impact of the new regulations.
 

Additional responsibilities and duties of these Principal Appraisers will include (but are not limited to):

• Planning, organizing, training, supervising, reviewing, and evaluating the work of appraisal staff
• Providing advanced support in the most difficult, specialized, or high-value or high-risk appraisals
• Fostering professional growth and effective working relationships
• Managing, analyzing, and evaluating special projects
• Providing subject matter expert (SME) advice to IT analysts/team in the development of the new Assessor Property Assessment System

The ideal candidates will possess:

• Knowledge of supervisory principles and practices including work planning, scheduling, assignment, and review, and employee training, evaluation, and corrective action
• Technical and professional knowledge of appraisal procedures for real, personal, and intangible property
• Understanding of California Property Tax laws, State Board of Equalization guidelines, and Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice; and the ability to read, interpret, and apply these rules, policies, and procedures
• Familiarity with systems, technology, and desktop applications
• Ability to appraise and assess complex property interests as per California statutes and Property Tax Rules and Regulations
• Skill in analyzing information and using sound independent judgment to make decisions and determine appropriate courses of action, including recommending legal actions
• Effective communication skills in both oral and written formats, including formal presentations
• Capability to be adaptable and resourceful
• Team building skills and effective ways of motivating and leading others to meet the challenges of a changing work environment
• Leadership skills, the ability to be a team player, and the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships
• Training experience to train new staff and develop appraisal and property tax assessment skills in all employees
• Ability to manage a heavy workload, including reviewing hundreds of appraisals and assessments per week and providing the appropriate feedback to staff

 
THE DEPARTMENT AND DIVISION
The mission of the Office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer is to ensure equitable treatment of County property owners by accurate and fair valuation of land, improvements, and businesses; to create an accurate public record of recorded transactions relating to people and property within San Mateo County; and to register County citizens to vote and efficiently conduct honest elections.
 
The Department is responsible for:

• The maintenance of 240,000 assessments and a local property tax roll of over $238 billion.
• The maintenance of County birth, death, and marriage records.
• The maintenance of over 3,000,000 recorded land records.
• The facilitation of local elections.
• The maintenance of the voter registration rolls representing over 330,000 County voters.

 
The Department is also responsible for a budget of $20 million, election billing to all jurisdictions, and 15 governmental trust funds.
 
 

Qualifications

Licensure/Certification: Acquisition within one year of appointment of a permanent Property Tax Appraiser Certificate issued by the California State Board of Equalization.  
 
Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.
 
The preferred qualifications include:

• A Bachelor's degree, and
• Six years of experience performing a full range of appraisals of tangible and taxable property, of which three years are for tax assessment purposes preferably with an Assessor's Office in California, and
• Experience appraising and assessing at least 3,000 or more residential properties, and
• Three years of experience with Assessment Appeals

Additional preferred qualifications include:
 

• Previous completion of advanced level courses offered by the California Board of Equalization and/or the Appraisal Institute
• Advanced Appraiser Certification issued by the State Board of Equalization.

Three years of experience as a Sr. Appraiser with San Mateo County Assessor's Office is considered qualifying experience.
 
The preferred and most highly qualified candidates will have experience in both the commercial and residential areas.
 
Specialized knowledge of Property Tax Rules and Regulations and Revenue and Taxation Code as they relate to Change in Ownership, Transfers, Assessments, etc., is a plus.
 
Knowledge of:

• Supervisory principles and practices, including work planning, scheduling, assignment, and review, and employee training and corrective action
• Technical and professional knowledge of appraisal procedures for real, personal, and intangible property
• Principles, methods, and techniques of effective interviewing, negotiating, and case management
• Training methods, procedures, and requirements
• California Property Tax statues and Rules and Regulations
• California State Board of Equalization guidelines
• Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice
• Court decisions affecting assessment procedures
• Methods to appraise typical real property, personal property, and Possessory interests
• Methods to appraise Special Properties like Ag and Timber Preserves, Historical Mining, etc.
• Policies and procedures related to the department
• Business arithmetic and statistical measures
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Record keeping principles and procedures

 
Skill/Ability to:

• Plan, assign, supervise, review, and evaluate the work of others
• Train others in work procedures
• Appraise complex property interests
• Analyze information and situations and use sound independent judgment to make decisions and determine appropriate courses of action, including recommending legal actions
• Organize, manage, and monitor cases and maintain accurate files, records, and statistics
• Select and make appropriate adjustments to property
• Read, interpret, and apply rules, policies, and procedures
• Accurately determine historic, reproduction, and replacement costs
• Accurately identify and measure depreciation and obsolescence
• Measure income-producing characteristics of property and appropriately capitalize the income stream into value
• Identify and classify various types of land, sites, buildings, structures, manufactured homes, vessels, aircraft, trade fixtures, and personal property interests in an accurate and uniform manner
• Travel to a variety of geographic locations throughout the County according to regular schedules as well as on demand
• Produce effective presentations
• Maintain complete and accurate records
• Prepare written appraisal reports
• Operate standard office equipment, including departmental applications
• Use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work 

 

Application/Examination

Open and Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, Confidential and Management extra-help/limited term, and SEIU or AFSCME represented extra help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.  
 
Responses to the supplemental questionnaire, in addition to our regular employment application form, must be submitted in order to be included in this recruitment.
 
The first phase of the examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail).  Those who pass the application screening will be invited to the second phase of the examination process, the panel interview, which could include the evaluation of a brief written and/or performance exercise given immediately preceding the interview.  In order to be considered for the position, applicants will have to successfully pass the interview.
 
Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or a screening committee may select those applicants whose education and/or experience appear to best meet the needs of the position. Qualified applicants will be notified of the date, time and place of the test(s).
 
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to http://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before 11:59 p.m. on the final filing date.

 This is a continuous recruitment which may close at any time. The final filing date will be posted 5 days in advance in the County of San Mateo Human Resources Department. 

Apply immediately. This recruitment is open on a continuous basis and selections may be made at any time within the process. 

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Continuous

The San José City Attorney’s Office is looking for senior level trial attorneys with substantial civil experience in state and federal court, excellent interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.

Job Description
The City’s litigation portfolio includes a broad range of substantive legal issues arising under both state and federal law. As Sr. Deputy litigator, under supervision of a Chief Deputy, you will have primary responsibility for all aspects of assigned cases, including pleading, litigation strategy, client communication and coordination, discovery and document review, motion practice, settlement evaluation and negotiation, and trial. The City’s varied and novel legal issues require excellent research, analytical, and writing skills as well as the ability to vigorously defend complex matters.

Minimum Qualifications
• Licensed to practice law in California.
• Ten years civil litigation and jury trial experience.

Per the City’s COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy, the City requires all employees starting on or after February 11, 2022, to provide proof of vaccination as a condition of employment absent a documented medical and/or religious exemption. Proof of vaccination means that employees are required to be “up-to-date” with regards to the COVID-19 vaccine. Consistent with the Santa Clara County Public Health Order issued on December 28, 2021, "up-to-date" means that an employee is not only "fully vaccinated," but has also obtained any booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccination for which they are eligible, within 15 days of first becoming eligible.

The City of San José, Office of the City Attorney is seeking an attorney with California municipal law and government experience, or transferable legal skills and a commitment to public service.

As an attorney in our Office, you will serve as trusted counsel to the Mayor and City Council, City Manager, administrative departments, and boards and commissions. You may be called upon to advise as the general counsel to departments regarding their respective duties, powers, functions and obligations in areas including public works, city-wide procurements, employment, land use planning, environmental services, public safety, utilities and housing. Responsibilities also include preparing opinions, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and other legal documents. Two years of minimum experience in one or more of these areas of law is desirable but not required.

The successful candidate should possess a strong work ethic, analytical depth, superior interpersonal skills, good judgment, and can communicate clearly and effectively. Admission to the California State Bar is required for this position.

Per the City’s COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy, the City requires all employees starting on or after February 11, 2022, to provide proof of vaccination as a condition of employment absent a documented medical and/or religious exemption. Proof of vaccination means that employees are required to be “up-to-date” with regards to the COVID-19 vaccine. Consistent with the Santa Clara County Public Health Order issued on December 28, 2021, "up-to-date" means that an employee is not only "fully vaccinated," but has also obtained any booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccination for which they are eligible, within 15 days of first becoming eligible.

Please send a cover letter and resume including complete employment history to: Nora Frimann, City Attorney, 200 East Santa Clara Street, 16th Floor Tower, San Jose, CA 95113, or e-mail to atty.res@sanjoseca.gov. Application review is ongoing, and the most qualified candidates will be invited for an interview. EOE