REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
LAURA FEINGOLD, County Counsel, Office of the County Counsel
SUBJECT
Title
Consent to Waiver of Potential Conflicts of Interest
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve a waiver of a potential conflict of interest arising out of representation of San Bernardino County by the Meyers Nave law firm.
2. Authorize the County Counsel or Chief Assistant County Counsel to execute the waiver of a conflict of interest.
(Presenter: Laura Feingold, County Counsel, 387-5455)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional discretionary general funding (net County cost) as it is non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The County desires to utilize the services of Meyers Nave to provide specialized legal services for a potential condemnation action and other legal services due to the unique experience and expertise of Meyers Nave. A potential conflict of interest has been raised by Meyers Nave that requires the County to execute a conflict waiver in order to utilize their services. Specifically, Meyers Nave currently represents BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) in connection with a range of land use and related environmental matters in California, including the Barstow International Gateway Project. The County is not adverse to BNSF in the Barstow International Gateway Project but this creates a potential conflict in the future because the County is involved with that project.
County Counsel has reviewed the consent to waive the potential conflict of interest and believes there would be minimal risk regarding Meyers Nave’s representation and that it would be appropriate for the Board to approve the waiver of the potential conflict of interest and authorize County Counsel or a Chief Assistant County Counsel to execute the consent to waive the potential conflict of interest.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 18, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Penelope Chang, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-4886) on June 18, 2026.