Eugene F. West, Esq.

Gene West is a founding partner at West Corzine, LLP. For over 35 years, his practice has emphasized insurance law. He enjoys an extensive trial practice with unparalleled trial experience (in excess of 100 civil trials) in cases involving product liability, general liability, bad faith defense, transportation law, construction defect litigation, mold claims, environmental insurance coverage and commercial/contract litigation.

Approximately 20 years into his career as an exceptional trial lawyer and negotiator, Mr. West’s love of ocean and fresh water recreational activities drew him to delve into learning about the operation and application of California Water law. He soon became consumed by the subject matter, and eventually, was called upon to specialize in a second legal practice area – California Water law. Since approximately 1998, Mr. West has worked with and represented many regulators, stakeholders and professionals involved in state and local water issues. He is one of very few lawyers in the state to have managed the creation of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (“GSP”).

For the past three years, Mr. West has served on the Board of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (“FCGMA”) (http://fcgma.org) representing special districts and mutual water companies. FCGMA manages and protects both confined and unconfined aquifers within several groundwater basins underlying the southern portion of Ventura County. FCGMA is an independent special district, separate from the County of Ventura or any city government. As Chair of FCGMA in Ventura County, Gene managed the process of writing the GSP that governs the agency’s sustainability plan. He has been part of the team that developed coordination agreements with other local agencies and political subdivisions for the management of the basins.

For 17 years, Mr. West has also served on the Board of the Camrosa Water District (https://www.camrosa.com), an independent special district dedicated to serving reliable, high quality and affordable water to its customers. The district delivers more than 14,000-acre feet of water per year to its mixed-density residential, agricultural, industrial and institutional customers. In 2017, Mr. West was named chair of the Arroyo Santa Rosa Groundwater Sustainability Agency.

In each capacity, Mr. West has consulted with regulators, stakeholders, engineers, and attorneys, concerning groundwater management and the development of GSPs for SGMA compliance. Gene has used his skills as an attorney to help the varied and complex stakeholder groups to work together on their issues.