LOS ANGELES-Steve Zimmer revealed plans on Wednesday to leave his post as executive vice president of Newhall Ranch & Farming Co. of Santa Clarita, CA, and join the Los Angeles-based law firm of Gilchrist & Rutter.

In his new assignment, Zimmer says he looks forward to working on the permitting process and other regulatory issues facing developers. “I still want to work on entitlements, issues relating to the California Environmental Quality Act, state and federal agencies like Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife and other legal hurdles facing development projects,” he says.

Zimmer’s background as both city attorney in the earlier part of his career, plus his subsequent work at Newhall Land negotiating with numerous public agencies, has given him an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of negotiating land-use agreements. “I’ve worked on every kind issue—public works, engineering, planning,” he says. “I knew all these issues from the public agency side while gaining knowledge about the development side,” he says.

Zimmer has had plentiful opportunity to learn about regulatory issues during his 11 years at Newhall Hall Ranch & Farming Co. He spent much of his timer with the Santa Clarita-based developer time pursuing entitlements and permits for the 12,000-acre Newhall Ranch, a new, master planned community in eastern Los Angeles County near the Ventura County border. Planned as an entirely new community with an eventual buildout of 20,000 homes and 5.5 million square feet of commercial space, he has logged many hours in courtrooms and conference rooms alike.

When Ventura County sued the developer in 1999 for alleged deficiencies in the Environmental Impact Report, Zimmer both litigated and negotiated settlements with the county and other opponents. The deal was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2003.