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  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Harold M. Freiman

Partner | Walnut Creek

hfreiman@lozanosmith.com
Tel: 925.953.1620
Fax: 925.953.1625
Vcard   | Bio

Overview

Harold M. Freiman is a Partner in Lozano Smith's Walnut Creek office. He represents school districts, county offices of education, and community college districts in such areas as school facilities, property, general education law, governing boards, student issues, business, and general litigation. He is a recognized leader on such topics as developer fees, school district reorganization, surplus property, the Brown Act and the Public Records Act. Additionally, he provides advice and litigation services related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to cities, special districts and educational agencies.

Experience

He has been with the firm and representing public entities for over 25 years. Mr. Freiman has appeared before the California Supreme Court on behalf of the California School Boards Association's (CSBA) Education Legal Alliance, and has been named a Northern California "Super Lawyer." He also received the 2014 California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) Associate Member of the Year Award for his exemplary service to schools and to CASBO for many years. Mr. Freiman previously served as a Briefing Attorney for the Texas Supreme Court.

Presentations and Associations

Mr. Freiman is a frequent presenter and trainer for CASBO, is a member and former Chair of CASBO's statewide Associate Member Committee, and served on the CASBO Board of Directors for 2015-2016. He has also served on the Legal Advisory Panel for the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH). Additionally, he is a member of CSBA's Council of School Attorneys as well as the National School Boards Association's Council of School Attorneys. Mr. Freiman, who has received numerous awards for public speaking, has been a speaker for these and numerous other state and local organizations. Mr. Freiman also regularly conducts board workshops on topics such as the Brown Act and Board governance.

Articles

In addition to writing several of the firm's Client News Briefs, Mr. Freiman's article, "Upcoming Developer Fee Increase, Being Proactive Can Result in More School Facilities Funds" was published in the CASBO Journal in December 2005. Mr. Freiman also co-authored "Water and Sewer Service Impacts and Fees," Environmental Mitigation Handbook (California's Coalition for Adequate School Housing, 2009) and Senate Bill 50 and School Facility Fees: A Report Prepared by C.A.S.H.'s Legal Advisory Committee (1999). Mr. Freiman's article, "In Service to the Client" was published in California Lawyer Magazine in September 2013.

Education

Mr. Freiman received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, and holds a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1990. In college, he was a teaching assistant and reader in the Rhetoric Department, and worked as an instructor in the Contra Costa College for Kids summer program. While at Columbia, he instructed first year law students in Real Property Law and served as an editor for the Columbia Human Rights Law Review.

New Bill Addresses Independent Contractor Conflicts of Interest and Provides Safe Harbor

By: Harold FreimanKelly Roberts-

State Allocation Board Approves Increase to Level 1 Developer Fees

By: Harold FreimanAngad Singh-

SB 760 Ensures All-Gender Restrooms Are Accessible to Students

By: Harold FreimanJenna Belmonte-

California Supreme Court Issues Long-Awaited Decision in California Voting Rights Act Challenge

By: Harold FreimanRyan TungJames McCann-

Legislature Addresses Affordable Workforce Housing on School District and County Office of Education Property

By: Harold Freiman-

Legislature Corrects Error Regarding Requirements for Schools' Adoption of Developer Fee Justification Studies

By: Harold Freiman-

Level I Developer Fee Raised, and Important New Requirements to Adopt Justification Studies and School Facilities Needs Analysis

By: Harold Freiman-

Online Public Meetings Still Allowed Until September 30

By: Harold Freiman-

New Appellate Court Case Reaffirms that School District's Imposition of Developer Fees is Tied to the General Type of Construction, not the Particular Project

By: Harold FreimanPeter Sumulong-

New Law Finally Attempts to Address Social Media Use and the Brown Act

By: Harold FreimanDavid Wolfe-

New Laws Streamline Process for Sale or Lease of School District Surplus Property and Allow for Flexible Use of Sale Proceeds

By: Harold FreimanPeter Sumulong-

Questions Remain Regarding Face Coverings in Schools

By: Harold Freiman-

Court of Appeal Rules that Santa Monica's At-large Method of Elections Does Not Violate the California Voting Rights Act

By: Michael SmithHarold FreimanRyan Tung-

Surplus School District Property and the Budget Crisis: New and Proposed Legal Requirements and Opportunities

By: Harold FreimanKelly Rem-

Individual Councilmember's Conduct Found to Deny Fair Hearing

By: Harold Freiman-

State Allocation Board Adopts Developer Fee Increases For 2020

By: Harold FreimanKelly RemPeter Sumulong-

Government Code 1090 Challenges by Third Parties Clarified and Limited by California Supreme Court

By: Harold Freiman-

Bill Intended To Establish E-Mail Retention Requirement For Public Agencies Vetoed By Governor Newsom

By: Harold Freiman-

AB 48 Increases Bonding Capacity, Provides Facilities Funding At Multiple Levels, Prioritizes Small School Districts, And Reduces Available Developer Fees For School Districts ... But Only Applies If Voters Approve A School Facilities Bond In March

By: Harold FreimanDaniel MarucciaJames McCann-

Significant New Developer Fee Cases

By: Harold FreimanKelly Rem-

Schools And Public Agencies Face A Rise In Digital Copyright Infringement Claims For Use Of Protected Photos

By: Harold Freiman-

Episode 68 Citizen Bond Oversight Committees: A Primer for School Districts

By: Harold FreimanDaniel Maruccia-

Join Lozano Smith Podcast host Sloan Simmons for a discussion with Partner attorneys Daniel Maruccia and Harold Freiman regarding Citizen Bond Oversight Committees. This podcast provides an insightful primer into such committees, including their purpose, applicable requirements, and commonly asked questions and issues.

AB 48 Would Have A Big Impact on School Facilities - If Voters Approve (A Bonus Episode of the Lozano Smith podcast)

By: Daniel MarucciaHarold Freiman-

Host Devon Lincoln talks with attorneys Daniel Maruccia and Harold Freiman about what AB 48 could mean for school facilities funding if approved by the voters in March 2020.

No Easy Answers - Cities, School Districts, and the Statewide Affordable Housing Crisis

By: Harold Freiman-

As California seeks legislative solutions for the statewide housing crisis, new laws increasingly seek to ease the path toward construction of affordable housing. Implementation of these laws has widespread financial and planning impacts on cities, counties and school districts. Host Devon Lincoln talks with Harold Freiman and Bill Curley about the affordable housing crisis and the repercussions of the new laws at the local level. This conversation explores how cities and counties are effected by the increasingly centralized state laws, and how the resulting increase in the pace of development impacts school districts.