Julian Gross is an attorney with sixteen years of experience in community economic development, representing community-based organizations, local government entities, and labor unions in urban development negotiations and in legislative and policy matters. Julian is the leading attorney in the nation on community benefits agreements, having represented coalitions of community-based organizations in over a dozen successful CBA negotiations, and having written and spoken widely on the subject. He has also drafted numerous local hiring and contracting policies, and has worked on living wage policies, DBE policies, and many other community economic development initiatives.
A community benefits agreement, or CBA, is a legally binding contract entered into between a developer or public entity and a coalition of community-based organizations, setting out the community benefits that a proposed development project will provide, and ensuring support for the project by the signing organizations. CBAs are typically used in large, subsidized, multi-use development projects in urban areas.
A good CBA can improve a project by ensuring a strong slate of community benefits for the surrounding neighborhood, building credibility and public support for a project, and aligning the interests of developers, public entities, and community stakeholders.
Julian has published and spoken extensively on CBAs, and represented community-based organizations in negotiation and implementation of the following CBAs:
In tough economic times, there is widespread interest in policies to target job opportunities to local, low-income neighborhoods or at-risk individuals. Local hiring policies can be adopted for specific development projects; for all projects of a certain public agency or in a certain redevelopment area; or for public works expenditures of a jurisdiction or agency. Policies can be tailored to apply to heavy construction jobs, permanent jobs, or both. Construction jobs policies are particularly important, as a career in the high-road sector of the construction industry is one of the few reliable middle-class career paths for individuals without college degrees.
Local hiring policies raise a host of complex legal and practical issues. For over fifteen years, Julian Gross has represented nonprofit and governmental clients in efforts to work through these issues and establish strong local hiring policies. These efforts include:
Represented organization in developing and advocating for local hiring policy covering construction jobs in City of San Francisco’s public works projects (2010).
Staff for San Francisco Local Hiring Stakeholders’ Process, established by City of San Francisco and local foundations (2010).
Retained by City of Seattle to provide advice regarding development and implementation of green jobs local hiring, contracting, and training programs (2010).
Represented organization regarding development, enactment, and implementation of local hiring policy for construction jobs on public works projects operated by the City of Los Angeles (2010).
Represented organization regarding development, enactment, and implementation of local hiring policy for construction jobs on projects operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (2010).
Represented multiple organizations in advocating for statutory or administrative local hiring requirements or authority on federally-funded construction projects; included discussion w/ U.S. Department of Transportation counsel and staffs regarding D.O.T. regulations regarding local hiring on D.O.T.-funded projects.
Represented nonprofit organization regarding development, enactment, and implementation of local hiring policy for construction jobs on projects operated by the Port of Los Angeles (2009–10).
Represented multiple parties in negotiation and implementation of local hiring requirements for permanent jobs in Hunters’ Point / Shipyard redevelopment project in San Francisco, California (2008)
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating construction employment local hiring requirements included in the climate change bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives (2008).
Represented organizational clients regarding development and enactment of local hiring policy for construction and permanent jobs in City of Richmond, California (2007).
Represented organizational client regarding development, enactment, and implementation of local hiring policy for construction jobs adopted by Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (2007).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating local hiring policy for permanent jobs in Ballpark Village redevelopment project in San Diego (2006).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating with Los Angeles World Airports authority a local hiring policy for permanent jobs for LAX modernization, including negotiation with the Federal Aviation Administration regarding permissibility of local hiring under federal revenue diversion regulations (2004).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating local hiring policy for permanent jobs in Marlton Square redevelopment project in Los Angeles, CA (2002).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating local hiring policy for permanent jobs in Hollywood & Vine redevelopment project in Los Angeles, CA (2002).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating with developer and Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency a local hiring policy for permanent jobs on the Staples Center / L.A. Live redevelopment project in downtown Los Angeles (2000).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiating local hiring policy for permanent jobs in NoHo Commons redevelopment project in Los Angeles, CA (2002).
Retained by City and Redevelopment Agency of East Palo Alto, California, to advise policy regarding local hiring and contracting policy governing construction and permanent employment in subsidized development projects (1998).
Represented multiple organizations in advocacy for local hiring requirements for construction jobs on the Alameda Corridor Transit Project in Los Angeles Region; involved negotiation with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation regarding permissibility of local hiring under D.O.T. regulations (1997).
Represented multiple organizations in negotiation regarding compliance with U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Section 3 local hiring requirements on HUD-funded construction projects in Long Beach, California (1997).
Represented multiple organizations in developing and advocating for local hiring and contracting policy governing construction and permanent employment in subsidized development projects in East Palo Alto (1994–96).
publications
“Commentary” in Ingram, Gregory K. and Yu-Hung Hong, Value Capture and Land Policies, Cambridge, MA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (forthcoming, 2012)
“Community Benefits Agreements,” chapter in Building Healthy Communities: A Guide to Community Economic Development for Advocates, Lawyers, and Policymakers; a publication of the Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development of the American Bar Association. (2009)
“CBAs: Definitions, Values, and Legal Enforceability” (2008) in Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Economic Development Law, Volume 17, Issues 1-2, a publication of the Forum on Affordable Housing & Community Development of the American Bar Association;
selected by West Publishing as a leading land use article for 2009
reprinted in Zoning and Planning Law Handbook, West Publishing, Salkin (Ed.)
