Nipomo CSD cuts ties with Michael Seitz

March 3, 2017

The Nipomo Community Services District has cut ties with its longtime legal counsel Shipsey & Seitz and has hired a new firm to provide legal services.

Shipley and Seitz provided legal counsel services to the Nipomo CSD for more than 20 years. But in January, the district board opted to search for a new legal counsel. A district press release said the decision was based on “the changing legal needs of the district and the board.”

At its Feb. 22 meeting, the Nipomo board approved an agreement with the law firm Richards, Watson and Gershon. RW&G has represented public agencies for more than 60 years and has offices across California, including a new location in San Luis Obispo, the Nipomo CSD press release states.

In hiring a new legal counsel, the Nipomo CSD is following the lead of the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District and the Los Osos CSD in cutting ties with attorney Michael Seitz. As legal counsel for the sanitation district, Seitz defended his friend and the district’s former general manager, John Wallace.

Wallace was recently arrested on felony conflict of interest charges for allegedly funneling money from the sanitation district to his private engineering company. For years, Seitz had claimed that Wallace had no conflict of interest as the sanitation district manager.

Nonetheless, the Nipomo CSD General Manager Mario Iglesias issued a statement praising Seitz’s firm.

“Generations have benefited from the hard work and dedicated service provided by the law firm of Shipsey & Seitz. Nipomo Community Services District owes a debt of gratitude to the firm for their service of protecting and promoting the interests of Nipomo,” Iglesias said.

The Nipomo district board room is named after Seitz’s late brother, Jon Seitz.