Fourth-generation California farmer raised in the Central Valley. Combines intimate understanding of the challenges facing agricultural communities with passion for law and work with public agencies.
Laura Yraceburu focuses her practice on natural resources and public law issues with particular emphasis on water, agriculture and public agency funding. Laura understands first-hand the challenges nut, raisin and wine grape farmers face with limited water supply, shifting regulatory obligations, and volatile economic forces. Integrating her public law and water law practices, Laura is expertly suited to navigate the consequences of water agency decisions. Recognizing clients’ goals may be best satisfied via an interdisciplinary approach, Laura takes a holistic and practical approach. Private and public clients value Laura’s creative solutions to novel problems in litigation and regulatory contexts.
Laura advises public agencies, large agricultural enterprises and corporate interests. She has extensive experience navigating the complexities of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), drafting public comment letters and updating groundwater management plans, in addition to advising on adjudicated groundwater basins. Laura assists public agency and landowner clients with the nuances of Proposition 218, Proposition 26 and bills and case law related to local agency taxes, fees and assessments, including SGMA implementation fees, municipal development impact fees and a variety of land-based assessments. She regularly interfaces with state and federal agencies, including the State Water Resources Control Board regarding water rights and Bureau of Land Management to ensure success of clients’ infrastructure projects.
Prior to joining Brownstein, Laura interned with U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C. She also worked with The Wonderful Company in Los Angeles as a corporate and regulatory intern.