Cody T. Sargeant

Cody T. Sargeant

Associate

Background

Cody Sargeant helps clients navigate the regulatory hurdles and complex legal issues that come with real estate and land use projects, adding valuable municipal experience and deep sense of business lifecycles to his natural resources practice. His experience includes assisting developers, businesses, property owners and other private parties in all stages of development.

Cody’s work includes guiding clients on several state and federal land use and environmental laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, the Subdivision Map Act and the California Public Records Act. He has worked on a variety of complex housing, mixed-use development and commercial projects throughout California.

Prior to joining the firm, Cody practiced business and real estate law at a Santa Barbara law firm, and previously practiced land use law at a large international law firm. While in law school, Cody served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Sandra S. Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and worked as a legal intern with the Long Beach City Attorney’s Office. He now serves as a board member for the Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County.

Representative Matters

Recent Experience

  • Represented three landowners to successfully obtain a Clean Water Act Section 404 Emergency Permit to restore an incised creek due to heavy rainfall and flooding which resulted in aging flood control infrastructure to fail. While obtaining local, state and federal permits to conduct work within a creek can often take years, Brownstein’s team was able to deliver full authorization of the project on an aggressive timeline by working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers and leveraging California’s Executive Order N-10-23 streamlining levee repairs and debris removal to waive the CEQA process and other state requirements.

  • Assisted in representing numerous vineyard and winery owners regarding land use and environmental issues, including in defense against the appeal of a land use permit for expansion of an existing winery and tasting room.

  • Pro bono counsel to a Central Coast wine industry group regarding structuring and governance of the non-profit corporation.

Insights & Publications

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., 2017, University of Southern California Gould School of Law
  • B.A., 2013, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, cum laude

Admissions

  • California

Community Involvement

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Vice-Chairman and Board Member, Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County

Board Member, Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation

Recognition

AWARDS:

Senior Submissions Editor, Southern California Law Review