Erica L. Vega

Erica L. Vega

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Erica Vega has dedicated her entire legal career to the representation of cities and other public agencies across California.  She serves as City Attorney for the City of Eastvale and General Counsel to West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.  She is also Assistant City Attorney for the cities of Cathedral City and Wildomar, Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Yucca Valley, Deputy City Attorney for the City of Rialto, and Assistant General Counsel to Sunline Transit Agency.  Erica has worked with numerous other public agencies in both general and special counsel roles throughout her 15 years of practice.

Erica serves as a trusted advisor to public agency governing bodies, commissions, and staff on a wide array of legal issues, including transparency and conflict of interest laws, planning and zoning laws, housing, first amendment issues, elections, and solid waste laws and regulations, among others.  She ensures that she delivers advice to clients in a manner that is understandable and contains practical guidance that can be readily applied in the real world. In providing advice, Erica focuses on both legal compliance and risk assessment, understanding that many complex situations faced by public agencies do not have clear cut answers.

Erica has extensive experience advising cities on land use and environmental issues related to proposed development projects, including large private development projects and public infrastructure improvements.  Erica routinely advises public agencies on CEQA compliance throughout the project processing and approval process.  She has reviewed CEQA documents for and advised on freeway interchange improvements and major state highway projects, General and Specific Plans, large commercial and mixed use developments, university campus expansions, hospitals, and a master planned development proposing over 1,000 new homes. She has also assisted agencies in obtaining permits and approvals from the federal, state and regional environmental regulatory agencies.

Erica advises agencies on the conduct of local elections.  In particular, Erica has extensive experience advising on ballot measures, whether initiated by the agency or voter petition. She has worked on numerous initiatives, referendums, and recall attempts, including situations where there are competing ballot measures.  Erica is knowledgeable on the local elections process from start to finish.  She has drafts ballot measures and impartial analyses and works closely with the local elections official to ensure Elections Code procedures and requirements are satisfied.

Erica also advises cities on the rapidly evolving area of cannabis regulation and taxation.  She has drafted ordinances establishing cannabis business regulatory programs and taxes, working collaboratively with city staff, law enforcement, and stakeholders in the process.  She advises city staff throughout the business licensing and land use permitting processes.

Erica is an active in organizations representing the interests of public agencies.  She currently serves on the League of California Cities’ Governance, Transparency and Labor Relations Policy Committee.  She previously served for six years on the Public Records Act Committee of the League’s City Attorney’s Department.  She is a contributor to the League’s publications on the Public Records Act, “The People’s Business,” conflicts of interest, “Providing Conflict of Interest Advice,” and the Municipal Law Handbook.

A graduate of Smith College, Erica majored in Government.  She also studied in Geneva, Switzerland, where she was enrolled at the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute for International Studies, and interned at the Center for International Environmental Law.  Erica obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings.  At UC Hastings, Erica focused her studies on public law and policy.  She participated in the school’s Center for State and Local Government Law and Public Law Research Institute.

  • J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2006
  • B.A., Government, Smith College, 2003
  • State Bar of California
  • United States District Court for the Central District of California
  • League of California Cities
  • California Bar Association, Public Law Section