Richard Taylor

A member of our Advisory Committee and former board member, Richard believes that the work that emerges from the Mesa Refuge is essential for our society to embrace and advance a responsible land ethic based on science and meaningful community dialogue.

Richard is a partner at the San Francisco law firm of Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, LLP, and a part-time Mesa Refuge neighbor in Point Reyes Station. As a planner before law school and an attorney since, his work has been focused on promoting a responsible land ethic based on science and meaningful community dialog.

As a general counsel to public agencies and from working with non-profit community groups, Richard has developed a good sense for spotting potential issues of legal concern and assessing options for prudent response.

Richard is on the board of the Sierra Nevada Alliance, supporting the work of 90+ grass roots land-use advocacy groups throughout the Sierra. At his law firm, he serves as city attorney to the City of Saratoga and general counsel to the Alameda County Waste Management Authority. He also advises local governments and community groups on a wide range of issues, including complex planning and land use matters, CEQA compliance, growth management, open space preservation strategies, trails and recreation planning, election law, and other public agency law issues.