Iris P. Yang

Partner

Iris P. Yang is a partner in the Municipal Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP. Prior to joining the firm in 2010, she was a shareholder with McDonough Holland & Allen in Sacramento and the chairperson of its board of directors.

Ms. Yang’s practice has focused on representing redevelopment agencies and, more recently due to changes in the law, their successor agencies. This practice includes the creation of agencies, adoption and amendment of redevelopment plans, negotiation of development agreements and litigation. Ms. Yang has negotiated and drafted agreements for numerous affordable housing projects, shopping centers, mixed-use projects, hotels and performing arts centers. In addition, she serves as special counsel to the successor agencies of Santa Rosa, Modesto, Vallejo, Redwood City, Ventura, Ceres, Marin County, Lincoln, Richmond, Auburn, Ukiah, Oakdale, and Clearlake, among others.

Since 1994, Ms. Yang has been the city attorney for the City of Paso Robles, working on a full range of municipal issues, including land use, elections, conflicts of interest, CEQA, public financing, Proposition 218, redevelopment, and litigation on a variety of issues. She has developed a sub-specialty advising public agency clients on conflict of interest matters under the Political Reform Act, Government Code section 1090 and common law, as well as in lobbying, economic disclosure and campaign finance matters. Ms. Yang has represented both public and private clients before the state Fair Political Practices Commission and regularly provides ethics training seminars mandated by AB 1234. 

Ms. Yang is a co-author of Redevelopment in California (Solano Press Books, 4th ed. 2009). From 1995-2010, she wrote and prepared the annual updates for the California chapter of Lobbying, PACs and Campaign Financing – 50 State Handbook (West Publishing Company). In addition, she has been an editor of the California Municipal Law Handbook (League of California Cities). Ms. Yang has lectured on various aspects of redevelopment law and practice for the Redevelopment Institute, the education arm of the California Redevelopment Association, and the University of California Extension at both Davis and Los Angeles. She recently completed a two-year term on the League of California Cities’ Legal Advocacy Committee and is currently a member of the League’s Task Force on the Next Generation of Economic Development Tools.

Ms. Yang is a member of the American Bar Association Local Government Section, the State Bar of California Local Government Section, the Asian Bar Association of Sacramento, Women Lawyers of Sacramento, and the California Redevelopment Association. She is on the board of directors of the Central California Appellate Program. Ms. Yang has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer (2004) and listed in the Best Lawyers in America (2012).

From 1974 to 1982, Ms. Yang worked as a reporter for The Sacramento Bee, covering local government and legal affairs. In 1978, she received a Public Service Award for Distinguished Reporting on the Administration of Justice from the State Bar of California.
 

• Redevelopment Institute, California Redevelopment Association, 1997 - present (twice annually)

Education

• University of California, Davis, J.D. (1982)
• Stanford University, M.A. (1977)
• Wellesley College, B.A. (1972)

Bar Admissions

• California (1982)

Lectures

• Lecturer, University of California, Davis, Extension
• Lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles, Extension

Iris P. Yang

Partner