Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Page 3
Election Lawyer Betty Ann Downing Opens Long Beach Practice
By Kenneth Ofgang , Staff Writer
Prominent elections lawyer Betty Ann Downing has opened a new practice in Long Beach under the name California Political Law, Inc.
Downing recently left the downtown Los Angeles firm then known as Kaufman Downing LLP. She said yesterday that her split with partner Stephen Kaufman, whose firm is now known as Kaufman Legal Group, was “amicable” and would be “a very good change for both of us.”
Kaufman Downing represented many well-known Democrats, as well as labor unions, political action committees, and ballot measure committees, in complying with campaign finance reporting rules and in other aspects of election law.
Downing said she was starting her practice with a number of “very good clients,” including Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a likely candidate for governor, and Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, who is termed out and looking at a race for attorney general.
Downing also represents Susan Jordan, who is Nava’s wife and has announced her candidacy for his Assembly seat.
Before joining Kaufman’s firm, she was a senior policy analyst with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. She has also worked as an ethics program consultant for the Metropolitan Water District, as the field and legislative director for the ACLU of Southern California, and as legislative assistant for the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges.
Downing, who was admitted to the State Bar in 1995, has a law degree from USC and an undergraduate degree in political science from UC Davis. She authored the Guide to California State Lobbying Laws, published by CEB in its California Business Law Practitioner in 1995, and serves on the Board of the California Political Attorneys Association.
She is also a past chair of the State Bar Public Law Section Executive Committee and served as the Public Law Section representative to the Council of State Bar Section and on the City of Long Beach Ethics Review Task Force which was charged with developing an ethics code and program for the City of Long Beach.
Copyright 2009, Metropolitan News Company