Kenneth H. Lounsbery

Telephone: 760-743-1201 EXT 105

Email: KHL@LFAP.com

Practice Areas:
Land Use Acquisition, Land Development, Municipal Law, Eminent Domain, Private Election Remedies

CURRENTLY

Mr. Lounsbery provides legal guidance to both public and private-sector clients in the areas of land use entitlements, environmental law and project financing.  Representing private clients, he has handled all aspects of administrative law, particularly in the context of project approvals and development.  He has also advised public agencies, extensively, with regard to a full menu of municipal law matters.  His representation has ranged from initial policy guidance, through active litigation.  In the use of the citizens’ initiative process, particularly to achieve a land use objective, Mr. Lounsbery has been in the forefront of this emerging area of law – working for both public and private clients.

HISTORICALLY

Mr. Lounsbery began his career with the San Diego City Attorney’s office. Upon promotion to the Civil Division, Mr. Lounsbery specialized in land use, redevelopment and utility regulation matters.

Mr. Lounsbery later served as City Attorney in the Cities of Escondido and South Lake Tahoe.  In 1976, Mr. Lounsbery was named City Manager of the City of Escondido.  During his four year tenure as Manager, he concentrated on the formation and direction of the City’s redevelopment agency and negotiated the long-term lease of City-owned land for the development by Ernest W. Hahn of the North County Fair regional shopping center.

Mr. Lounsbery left his municipal position in 1980 to join Higgs, Fletcher & Mack.  As a resident partner in the firm’s Escondido office, Mr. Lounsbery represented private clients in the areas of land use, development, construction and redevelopment law.

In 1982, the Lusardi Construction Company hired Mr. Lounsbery to become its full time General Counsel; in 1983, he was also named Vice President.  His responsibilities included the oversight of all legal aspects of construction matters and the handling of land use entitlements, including environmental approvals, project permitting, financing, and completion bonds.  These included several industrial developments, one regional shopping center, a large mixed-use project and municipal solid waste facilities.

In 1989, Lusardi named Mr. Lounsbery as President of a sister corporation, Servcon, which had the special purpose of obtaining approvals for developing and constructing municipal solid waste disposal facilities.  Upon obtaining approvals for two such projects, in 1992, Servcon was sold and Mr. Lounsbery returned to Higgs, Fletcher & Mack.

While with the firm, Mr. Lounsbery was named the contract City Attorney for the City of San Marcos. In 1994, he drafted the charter for that City and directed the voter approval of its terms as an initiative measure. The charter served as a template for chartering other cities, including Vista and Oceanside. Mr. Lounsbery also oversaw the operation of the redevelopment agency of the City, which successfully promoted public private partnerships to construct mixed use and commercial developments.

In 1996, Mr. Lounsbery, with four other partners, founded their current firm, which continues to represent both public and private clients. Members of the firm serve as contract City Attorney for the Cites of San Marcos and Lemon Grove, while also representing the interests of a broad spectrum of private client needs.

EDUCATION/CREDENTIALS

A native Californian, Mr. Lounsbery attended the College of William and Mary, where he earned a BA degree in Government.  He was awarded a Juris Doctor Degree, with honors, from the California Western University School of Law.  He is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, the Bar of the State of California and the San Diego County Bar Association.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

As past president of the local Chamber of Commerce and publicly elected director of the regional hospital district, Mr. Lounsbery has actively served the greater San Diego County community.  He is the past Chair of the Escondido Charitable Foundation.  He currently serves as a charter member of the University Advisory Council for California State University, San Marcos, and is the past President of the City Attorneys Association of San Diego, and the City Manager’s Association.