John D. Bakker

John Bakker is a hands-on, practical, and creative public lawyer with more than 25 years of experience. He has been the City Attorney of the City of Dublin for 16 years, is the City Attorney for the City of Cotati, and serves as general counsel to Kensington Fire Protection District, Mountain House Community Services District, Napa Sanitation District, and RecycleMore.  
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John is an experienced and knowledgeable advisor on the full range of public law issues. Clients and colleagues call on his expertise on topics such as government finance (Propositions 13, 62, and 218, Property tax, state revenues), Political Reform Act compliance (lobbying, conflicts, campaign finance), housing law, and Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act (annexations, incorporations, and reorganizations).

Redwood’s clients rely on John’s knowledge of funding issues related to utility and other public infrastructure projects. He has advised numerous clients on development impact fees; the adoption and increase of water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste service charges; and water and sewer connection and capacity charges.
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John understands all aspects of Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) proceedings, and he puts his knowledge to work helping clients pursue LAFCO approvals or oppose them. He drives winning LAFCO strategies by game planning a proceeding from its design and initiation to the recordation of the certificate of completion. Representative matters include assisting a special district serving territory—now the City of Goleta—that was the subject of competing incorporation and annexation proposals, opposing a neighboring city’s attempt to provide contract service to the United States Navy within the City of Coronado’s territory, and helping Mountain House Community Services District incorporate as California’s 483rd city.
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The arcane aspects of state and local government law in California, which usually involve disputes between and among the state and other local agencies, get John animated. Even 20 years on, he could probably explain the triple flip, VLF swap, and Proposition 1A off the top of his head in clear and simple terms. He could also explain revenue neutrality, the ins and outs of property tax exemptions, the unitary tax, and the history of California’s property tax allocation system to you in an approachable way. His process is to develop a deep understanding of the context and history of the relevant statutory and constitutional provisions. Some examples include determining responsibility for unfunded liabilities upon withdrawal of members from a joint powers authority, representing agencies seeking reduced “property tax administration charges” following the VLF Swap and triple flip, and pushing back on HCD’s assertion of broad authority in reviewing Housing Elements for substantial compliance with state law.