Kelly J. Salt

Partner

Kelly Salt is a partner in the Public Finance practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP, resident in the San Diego office. Since joining Best Best & Krieger in 2006, she has worked as bond and disclosure counsel with numerous cities and public agencies on financing major public facilities through the issuance of certificates of participation, revenue, lease revenue, assessment district, and community facilities district bonds. 

In addition to her bond and municipal finance work, Ms. Salt’s practice areas include rate setting and compliance with Proposition 218, and drought management and water conservation programs. In this capacity she has assisted cities and special districts with the review of utility rate studies and assessment engineering reports; the preparation of notices of public hearings for the adoption of rate increases to fees, charges, and assessments; the formation of assessment districts; and the establishment of new and increases to existing taxes, assessments, fees, and charges. Her water conservation work includes preparing drought management and water conservation programs; preparing water efficient landscape ordinances; and developing water demand offset fees to mitigate the impacts of new development on water supplies. 

Prior to joining Best Best & Krieger, Ms. Salt worked for the San Diego City Attorney’s Office for over sixteen years and served as the primary attorney on bond finance matters for the City’s public works projects. These projects are as varied as the billion dollar expansion and reconstruction of the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure programs and the $169.6 million lease revenue financing for the construction of Petco Park. She was also the chief deputy city attorney of the City Attorney’s Office Public Works Section and supervised other attorneys on, among other issues, public works contracting and water, wastewater, and solid waste regulatory compliance matters. 

Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, Ms. Salt worked for the University of San Diego School of Law. At the law school she was an instructor and also served as the assistant dean for student affairs.

Ms. Salt is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the State Bar of California. She has served as a member of the League of California Cities, City Attorneys’ Department Proposition 218 Committee and contributed to the preparation and the update of the League’s Proposition 218 Implementation Guide (2007 Edition). Additionally, she has been a featured speaker on Proposition 218 and water conservation at, among others, the League of California Cities, the Association of California Water Agencies, and the Special District and Local Government Institute. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1985, where she was a comments editor for the Law Review and a member of the Jessop International Moot Court Team. Receiving her Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1981, she graduated with high honors (cum laude) and phi betta kappa.

Education

• University of San Diego (USD), J.D. (1985)
• University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A.

Bar Admissions

• California (1985)