City Attorney Staff
Ariel Pierre Calonne
Ariel has served as Ventura's city attorney since August 2007. Ariel first worked for the city in 1986-1988 as a deputy and assistant city attorney. Ariel is a native Angeleno and a graduate of Thousand Oaks High School. He received his law degree at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of California at Riverside. Before coming back to Ventura in 2007, Ariel spent 4 years as the city attorney of Boulder, Colorado and 13 years as the city attorney of Palo Alto, California.
Ariel served as President of the City Attorneys Department of the League of California Cities in 1998-1999 and was named Public Lawyer of the Year in 2003 by the Public Law Section of the State Bar of California. In 2006, the Colorado Metro City Attorneys Association honored him with its Outstanding City Attorney award.
Ariel has been active on public records, privacy, First Amendment and open meetings law. In June 2006, he presented First Amendment Jeopardy! - A City Attorney's Guide to Key First Amendment Issues to the Colorado Municipal League. In October 2005, he moderated a debate on RLUIPA at the Cities on the Cutting Edge conference sponsored by the Hastings Center for State and Local Government Law in San Francisco. He has presented to the Conference on Computers, Freedom & Privacy, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the California First Amendment Coalition, the Colorado Municipal League and the League of California Cities. Ariel has appeared on the San Francisco NPR affiliate KQED, CNN, and The California Channel.
Ariel has authored numerous articles and amicus curiae briefs on public records, governmental immunity, and open government issues, including the League of California Cities brief in the California Supreme Court open meetings law case, Roberts v. City of Palmdale.
Ariel was the founding chairperson of the League of California Cities' Public Records Act Committee and served from 1994 until January 1998. He was a member of the advisory committee to the Joint Senate-Assembly Task Force on Personal Information and Privacy chaired by California State Senator Steve Peace. In 1996 and 1997, Ariel participated on the Electronic Access to Public Records Task Force formed under the Senate Select Committee on Information Services in State Government.
Before going to Palo Alto, Ariel was with the Los Angeles law firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon where he served as city attorney for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, and assistant city attorney for Palmdale and Westlake Village. Ariel began his career as a summer law clerk and associate with Best, Best & Krieger in Riverside, California.
Ariel is married and has four sons.
Christopher G. Norman
Chris Norman is the Chief Assistant City Attorney and has served with Ventura's City Attorney's office since 2001. With over 14 years of experience in all areas of municipal law, Chris currently practices in the areas of litigation, public works, police, financing, and redevelopment. He has successfully represented Ventura and other cities in state and federal court and has several published appellate decisions that have advanced municipal interests.
Before coming to Ventura, Chris worked in Santa Ana's City Attorney's office where he helped develop and manage an in-house litigation section, and later advised the planning commission. While working in private practice, Chris also served as assistant city attorney for the cities of Adelanto, Indio, and Perris.
Chris received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1992 and his bachelor's degree in philosophy, magna cum laude, from Occidental College in 1989. Chris, his wife and two children enjoy being an active part of the Ventura community.
James E. Neuerburg
Jim Neuerburg earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1987. Prior to joining the Ventura City Attorney's office in 1990, Jim was an associate with the firm of Best, Best, and Krieger in Riverside, working mainly in that firm's extensive public sector practice area.
As Senior Assistant City Attorney in Ventura, Jim advises City staff and the City's boards and commissions, including the Planning Commission and the City Council, on the review of public and private development projects and the adoption and implementation of the City's land use regulatory programs, including the 2005 Ventura General Plan, the Downtown Specific Plan, and the recently enacted Midtown Corridors Development Code.
Jim's role includes advising on such matters as compliance with state and federal statutes and regulations that apply to land development in California, including, but not limited to, the California Environmental Quality Act, the Subdivision Map Act, affordable housing requirements, the Coastal Act, and, on the federal level, the Fair Housing Act, RLUIPA, Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water Act, including NPDES and 404 permit regulations.
Sonia Aleman Hehir
Sonia is assigned to advise the Community Services, Civic Engagement, Police and Human Resources Departments on a variety of issues including employment, retirement, and transactions in contracts, copyrights, cable law, and the city's housing program. She represents the City in criminal and administrative hearings and oversees litigation matters, as assigned. Prior to joining the City of Ventura, Sonia was staff counsel for the Office of the State Controller of California, appearing before state boards, commissions and administrative appeal hearings on fiscal matters. She has also spent time in private practice representing school districts on matters of education and employment law.
Sonia is a graduate of Loma Linda University, and has a BA in History and Political Science. She obtained her law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and is admitted to practice in the State of California and the United States District Court. Sonia is fluent in Spanish and French. Sonia and her family are avid golfers and are active members of their community church.
M. Rebeca Mendoza
M. Rebeca Mendoza joined the City of Ventura as Assistant City Attorney in May 2006. She advises both the Finance/Technology and the Fire Departments on contracts, and handles code compliance matters for all departments, including criminal code enforcement cases for the Police Department. She also works with several departments on franchise ordinances and related concerns, advises the Design Review Committee, and handles public records and subpoena requests.
Rebeca arrived in Ventura with 30 years of diverse legal experience. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law, she previously served as Deputy Attorney General for the State of California's Department of Justice, where her primary duty was to litigate employment discrimination cases. Rebeca also worked as Assistant General Counsel for the San Francisco Housing Authority, and for almost nine years as Deputy City Attorney in Oakland, where she handled various litigation matters for the City of Oakland and the Oakland Housing Authority. In addition, as a Deputy Public Defender for Alameda County, she gained valuable criminal law experience. Rebeca and her husband, Roberto Vargas, have two grown daughters, Andrea and Ixchel.
Susan Marquez
Susan Marquez began working for the City Attorney's office in 1999. During her tenure with the City Attorney's Office, Susan has been in charge of administration and management. Susan earned a certificate in the City of Ventura's Customer Service Program. She spent her previous 15 years working for various private law practices in Ventura and Los Angeles counties specializing in civil litigation. Susan has been an active member of the Ventura County Legal Secretaries Association holding various posts. She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and received her Paralegal Certificate.
Susan and her husband Santos have two children, Anthony and Andrea. They enjoy living in the beautiful City of Ventura.
Angela Stephens
Angela Stephens started work as an Administrative Legal Secretary with the City Attorney's Office in January 2007. Prior to this, she worked for over 20 years in private law firms focusing on civil litigation. Angela was has been an active member of the Ventura County Legal Secretaries Association.
Angela and her husband Doug have three grown children and four grandchildren.