Overview
Maricela Marroquin is a shareholder in the Public Law Department at Richards, Watson & Gershon and serves on the Firm's Management Committee. Maricela has over 20 years of experience representing local governments. She is City Attorney for the City of Highland and is Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Temecula and Jurupa Valley. Maricela also regularly staffs the Temecula and Jurupa Valley Planning Commission meetings. Maricela also serves as General Counsel for the Interstate 5 Consortium Cities Joint Powers Authority.
Work for Clients
Maricela has expertise in land use, planning and zoning law, the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, conflicts of interest, and housing-related laws. In the land use area, Maricela has worked on a broad range of projects including Specific Plans, General Plan amendments, residential and commercial subdivisions, and mixed use projects. Maricela works closely with planning department staff on a variety of planning projects to ensure that that there is a solid administrative record should a project be challenged. Maricela routinely advises on compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
In the housing context, Maricela regularly advises on compliance with California’s housing-related land use laws, including Housing Element Law, the Housing Accountability Act, the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330), Density Bonus Law, No Net Loss, the Surplus Land Act, SB 9, inclusionary housing, accessory dwelling units, and other laws related to streamlined approvals including SB 35, Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 (AB 2011) and the Middle Class Housing Act of 2022 (SB 6).
Maricela also has authored ordinances on a variety of subjects such development impact fees, inclusionary housing fees, the establishment of affordable housing overlay zones and mixed-used zones, prohibiting smoking in multi-unit residential housing, prohibiting smoking in public places, prohibiting or regulating cannabis retail, cultivation and distribution establishments. Maricela has also authored ordinances pertaining to purchasing procedures, massage establishments, gasoline stations, live entertainment, accessory dwelling units, collection containers, alcohol uses, and moratorium ordinances.
Maricela has advised cities on election related matters and has drafted resolutions calling for an election, sales tax measures, and impartial analysis. In the context of establishing or increases fees, Maricela has advised clients on compliance with Proposition 218, Proposition 62 and Proposition 26.
Maricela also routinely drafts and negotiates development agreements, disposition and development agreements, professional services agreements, settlement agreements, and lease and license agreements. Maricela has represented cities on acquisition-related issues, including drafting purchase and sale agreements, rights of entry, and conservation easements.
Maricela provides AB 1234 training to a number of clients and regularly advises on conflicts of interest matters. In addition, Maricela conducts new Council member and new Commissioner trainings.
Maricela has significant expertise in the complex and constantly evolving State and Federal laws regarding cannabis including Senate Bill 94, the Medicinal Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act and the Controlled Substances Act. Maricela has assisted cities with understanding their options for regulating cannabis businesses in their jurisdiction, and has drafted over 20 ordinances regulating and/or prohibiting commercial cannabis activities. Maricela has also drafted local ballot measures to regulate and tax commercial cannabis businesses including retailers, cultivation, manufacturing, and testing laboratory facilities.
Professional Experience
Maricela began her legal career with Richards, Watson & Gershon in 2003 when she worked as a Summer Associate with the firm. Maricela spent ten years representing cities in various litigation matters including administrative mandamus proceedings, municipal and tort defense, code enforcement, contract disputes, and condemnation actions. As a former eminent domain attorney, Maricela assisted clients in all stages of the pre-acquisition process for grade separation, road widening, and detention basin projects. Maricela has now switched her focus to providing advisory assistance to clients on a wide variety of municipal law matters including the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, conflicts of interest, contracts, and housing related matters.
Professional and Community Affiliations
Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
Experience
Maricela has significant expertise in State laws pertaining to cannabis for both medicinal and adult-use. Maricela provides advisory assistance to city clients to help them understand their ability to regulate or prohibit commercial cannabis businesses, the regulation of cannabis for personal use, and cannabis taxation issues. Maricela has provided advisory assistance to over twenty cities regarding cannabis regulation including Agoura Hills, Covina, Beverly Hills, Compton, Monrovia, Norwalk, Temecula and Yucaipa, and has drafted ordinance for these cities.
Maricela assisted the City of Temecula in drafting the necessary documents for the adoption of the Uptown Temecula Specific Plan, including a General Plan Amendment, approval of the Specific Plan, certification of the EIR, and amendment to an adult business overlay zone.
Maricela also assisted Beverly Hills in drafting tobacco smoking regulations.
News
Presentations
Maricela has delivered presentations before public officials, attorneys, and community members, including the Orange County City Attorney’s Association, Ventura Council of Governments, and the cities of Beverly Hills, Calimesa, Compton, Highland and Temecula on topics ranging from cannabis regulation to the Brown Act, meeting management, due process laws, Public Records Act, CEQA and conflicts of interest.
Presentations include:
Publications
An expert in State cannabis laws, Maricela has written on the following topics:
- “New Regulatory Structure for Medical and Non-Medical Cannabis Laws”, RWG E-alert (July 2017)
- “New Developments and Complications in Marijuana Laws,” RWG E-Alert (September 2016)
Practice Areas
Focus Areas
Education
J.D., University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
B. A., cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, University of California, San Diego
