Sarah E. Owsowitz

Of Counsel

Sarah E. Owsowitz is of counsel in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Environmental Law and Natural Resources practice group. Ms. Owsowitz’s practice focuses on California Environmental Quality Act advice and litigation, with a particular concentration on urban decay, climate change, water supply, and cultural resource issues.

Ms. Owsowitz represents both public and private clients in administrative proceedings and litigation involving CEQA, as well as state and local planning and zoning laws. In particular, she has substantial experience in obtaining entitlements and preparing and defending environmental impact reports for large-scale development projects, hospital retrofits and renewable energy projects. 

Of note, Ms. Owsowitz has successfully defended against challenges to the adequacy of environmental impact reports for large-scale grocery stores in Citizens for Responsible Growth v. City of Bakersfield (2010) [unpublished decision] and Tracy First v. City of Tracy (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 912. She successfully defended against an attempt to file a challenge to a water supply assessment in California Water Impact Network v. Newhall County Water District et al. (2008) 161 Cal.App.4th 1464.

Ms. Owsowitz is a past member of the executive committee of the State Bar of California Real Property Section and was selected as a Northern California Rising Star for land use law by Northern California Super Lawyers Magazine 2009-2012.

Prior to joining Best Best & Krieger, Ms. Owsowitz was with Cox Castle & Nicholson and Morrison & Foerster. Before that, for nearly seven years, she served as a deputy city attorney for the City and County of San Francisco.

Education

• University of Minnesota, J.D. (1998)
• University of Minnesota, M.P. (1998)
• University of Chicago, B.A. (1995)

Bar Admissions

• California (1999)

Court Admissions

• California (1999)