Jose M. Sanchez

Jose Sanchez provides advice on the full range of legal issues facing cities and special districts, including land use, code enforcement, the Public Records Act, the Brown Act and public contracting. He serves as City Attorney for the cities of Atwater and Livingston and Deputy City Attorney for the City of Rancho Cordova. Jose also works with special districts, including health care and park districts.

Jose advises on land use matters, public contracting, labor and employment matters, and other public law issues. Among other large projects, he has advised on Atwater’s construction of a new wastewater treatment plant. His experience also encompasses preparation and review of cities’ general plan and zoning codes, implementation of development impact fees, and negotiating and drafting development agreements and public contracts. For Rancho Cordova, he is the lead code enforcement attorney. Jose drafts ordinances and provides critical support for enforcement activities, which recently won the City a statewide award for its “Blight Busters” program.

Prior to joining Meyers Nave, Jose clerked at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office and advised its Ethics Commission. He updated the Human Rights Commission’s Record Retention Policy and researched the Brown Act, the Public Records Act and San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance. 

During law school, Jose interned in the legal department of the San Francisco Unified School District. His duties included assisting with school bond issues for construction contract procedures and public bid procedures. Jose also researched the District’s use of surplus and non-surplus lease revenues, its need for a disabilities coordinator, employee termination procedures and charter school inter-district transfer procedures.

Active in several law school activities, Jose was a nominee for the Distinguished Bankruptcy Law Student Award, participated as case counsel for the University of San Francisco’s moot court program, received the award for best oral argument in moot court, participated in Advocate of the Year, tutored for SBA Torts and Academic Support Program Torts, and received the CALI Award for Excellence in Legal Research and Writing.