Scott C. Smith

Partner

Irvine
5 Park Plaza
Suite 1500

TEL: (949) 263-6561
FAX: (949) 260-0972
Scott.Smith@bbklaw.com

General Bio
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)

Environmental Law & Natural Resources Practice

Scott C. Smith is a partner in Best Best & Krieger’s Irvine Office specializing in land use, environmental, and development law. 

Mr. Smith currently serves as City Attorney for the cities of Aliso Viejo and Lake Forest.  He has also served  as City Attorney for the cities of Santee, La Verne and Big Bear Lake and has provided city attorney services, either as general or special counsel, to the Cities of Claremont, Corona, La Verne, Fontana, Santee and Vista.  He serves as associate counsel to Orange County LAFCO and as special counsel to other LAFCOs.  In addition to his work on the litigation teams described above, Mr. Smith  regularly represents clients in an advisory capacity on matters relating to the California Environmental Quality Act.  His more substantial work in this capacity includes EIR’s on UC Riverside’s Long Range Development Plan, general plans for several cities, a 36-hole golf course project for Helix Water District, Tustin Marketplace in Santa Ana, Tyler Mall in Riverside, a surface mining and reclamation Specific Plan for San Bernardino, and the Moonridge Specific Plan in Big Bear Lake.  He is currently advising the City of Santee on CEQA compliance relating to the approval of the 2,900 unit Fanita Ranch Specific Plan and the City of Lake Forest on an 800-acre residential re-zone.

Mr. Smith serves as general counsel to the California Chapter of the American Planning Association and has trained new planners in CEQA for that organization.  Mr. Smith participated in annual CEQA workshops for the California Association of Environmental Professionals from 1997 to 2004.  He regularly teaches land use and environmental law courses for UC San Diego Extension.  He has also presented papers to the National Institute of Municipal Law Officers (“NIMLO”) and the League of California Cities on the protection of endangered species through the transfer of development rights.  He has also addressed NIMLO on the use of CEQA to challenge the land use decisions of neighboring jurisdictions.

Mr. Smith graduated valedictorian from Utah State University with a degree in Spanish and Political Science.  He received his J.D. degree with honors from Brigham Young University Law School in 1985.  He joined BB&K upon law school graduation.

Bar & Court Admissions

• California, 1985

Education

• JD, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
• BA, Utah State University, Logan, UT