Management Team
JAMES C. SANCHEZ
CITY ATTORNEY
James C. Sanchez has served as the City Attorney for the City of Fresno since June 2006. He served as Interim City Attorney from March 2006 until his appointment in June. He received a B.A. from Pepperdine Univ. in 1981 and a law degree from the Univ. of California Hastings College of Law in 1984.
Mr. Sanchez has practiced municipal law for over twenty years holding various positions. His prior positions include: City Attorney for the City of Salinas, Chief Assistant City Attorney for the City of Fresno; Deputy County Counsel for the County of Fresno. He was a Legal Extern to Justice Cruz Reynoso with the California Supreme Court. Mr. Sanchez has provided legal advice and services on the full range of municipal litigation and transactional legal issues, and supervised the City’s environmental, litigation and economic development/ finance units. Mr. Sanchez has been a regular presenter at League of California Cities Conferences on municipal topics ranging from open meeting requirements to environmental liabilities.
Mr. Sanchez has been active in several organizations and committees including: Rotary Club; La Raza Lawyers; Editorial Committee of League of California Cities Municipal Law Handbook; Monterey Bay Representative to League of California Cities statewide Legal Advocacy Committee; South San Joaquin Valley Division of the League's Legal Advocacy Committee; and, National League of Cities invitee to meet with US EPA in Washington D.C. to advocate equitable approaches to municipal environmental liabilities. He has also published articles on municipal environmental liabilities for the League of California Cities and the State Bar. He has served as a board member of Evangelicals for Social Action, One by One Leadership, and is a past president of the local La Raza Lawyers Association. Mr. Sanchez and his wife, Katie, have two married daughters, Grace and Rebekah and several grandchildren, all residing in Fresno.
DAVID P. HALE
CHIEF ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
David P. Hale was appointed Chief Assistant City Attorney in June 2006 and is the head of the Advisory Unit.
A graduate of the University of LaVerne Law School, Mr. Hale has been practicing real property and municipal law for over twenty-five years. As head of the Advisory Unit, his responsibilities include a wide variety of areas such as municipal elections, ballot measures and initiatives, legislation, potential conflicts of interest, public records act requests, land use planning and development, CEQA litigation, oversight of contract counsel, and Office and budget administration. He has been a member of the City Attorney's Office Economic Development and Finance Unit where his focus was on municipal finance including matters dealing with taxes, development fees, special projects, and the issuance of over one billion dollars in municipal bonds. Prior to joining the City Attorney's Office, he practiced in the private sector with Arco Oil and Gas Company and Century 21, and in real estate development where his legal representation included small developers to a Fortune 500 company.
Mr. Hale is an active member of the Fresno County Bar Association and enjoys spending time with his family and activities such as camping, road biking and kayaking. He also sits on the board of directors of Jaron Ministries.
FRANCINE M. KANNE
ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
Francine M. Kanne was appointed Assistant City Attorney in September 2004 and is the head of the Litigation Unit.
A graduate of San Joaquin College of Law, Ms. Kanne has been practicing law for over twenty years. As head of the Litigation Unit, her responsibilities include a wide variety of civil defense matters including Civil Rights violations, municipal liability, personnel, and labor relations. Prior to joining the City Attorney's Office, she practiced in the private sector as a partner with Dowling, Aaron & Keeler working on complex business litigation, defending employers in business, corporate, agriculture, employment and construction cases often valued in excess of a million dollars. She also was an Associate with the firm of Georgeson & Bellardinelli.
Ms. Kanne is an active member of the Fresno County Bar Association, a board member of the Federal Bar Association, and serves on several community service committees. She strives to contribute to the community where she has been a life-long resident. She and her husband enjoy spending time outdoors on their ranch with their pets and gardening.
DOUGLAS T. SLOAN
ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY
Douglas T. Sloan was appointed Assistant City Attorney in June 2006 and is the head of the Economic Development / Finance Unit.
A graduate of the University of Missouri Kansas City, Mr. Sloan has been practicing law for over twenty years. As head of the Economic Development/Finance Unit, he works on environmental clean-up defense, complex litigation and business agreements, eminent domain, redevelopment matters, and oversight of contract counsel. Prior to joining the City Attorney's Office, he practiced in the private sector with several different firms. Most recently he was with Dowling, Aaron & Keeler working on all aspects of litigation and the training of other attorneys. He also was with the firm of Forrest, Henderson, Sloan & Davis where he was a supervising attorney in litigation.
Mr. Sloan is an active member of the Fresno County Bar Association as well as other community organizations. He is an avid cyclist, participating in regional events. He and his wife, Janet, have two sons.