Natural resources attorney with unique expertise combining public agency work with water law. Helps entities navigate emerging laws and fee authority, especially as they relate to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Prioritizes a preemptive approach to representation.
Jena Acos’ practice thrives at the intersection of water and public agency law. She intimately understands how natural resource issues interrelate with the economic, social and regulatory aspects inherent in work on behalf of, and for those interfacing with, public agencies. She strategically breaks down problems and generates candid dialogue that is often key to resolving complex issues.
Jena’s clients include some of California’s largest water districts and private agricultural interests operating in the state’s most critically overdrafted basins. Along with institutional government entities, Jena works with various water rights holders on both small-scale and larger projects. She advises clients on the development and implementation of groundwater management plans and brings unique insight on public finance issues involving taxes, assessments, fees and charges.
Jena also serves as a contract city attorney for the City of Carpinteria, where she works with city staff to navigate critical jurisdictional issues and draft, review and enforce contracts and ordinances. Her decade of experience representing the city underscores her expertise in all aspects of local governmental law, including the Brown Act, Public Records Act, Political Reform Act and LAFCO issues, as well as planning, zoning, housing and environmental laws. This has included addressing short-term rentals and housing scarcity, social justice issues, and sea-level rise and coastal access, as well as negotiating land use matters with housing and hotel developers and energy companies.