Daehnke Cruz Law Group LLP

The Daehnke Cruz Law Group is a law partnership which opened its doors back in 1992. Its founding partners, John Cruz and Kevin Daehnke, brought together their big law firm backgrounds, and expertise in environmental law and real estate, and formed a boutique law firm that specializes in handling legal issues relating to the investigation and remediation of sites contaminated by gasoline, petroleum and other chemicals.

Beginning in 2005, while the Firm was creating and helping to secure passage of its signature Brownfields legislation, California Senate Bill 989, John Cruz was handpicked to work full-time for Governor Schwarzenegger. And, in August, 2007, Mr. Cruz joined the then-Governor's Cabinet as the Appointments Secretary.

While the Firm is located in Newport Beach, California, the Firm recently helped launch the nationwide toxic succession outreach known as "Campaign 5000". This effort is geared to educate thousands of estate planning, financial and business succession professionals throughout the country on the serious consequences of passing contaminated sites to heirs and successors at death.

Daehnke Cruz Law Group has always emphasized pragmatic approaches to dealing with contaminated properties, including utilization of its specialized experience in working with state and federal regulators at the forefront of cutting edge environmental regulatory programs. The Firm's attorneys pride themselves on knowing how to cut through the regulatory bureaucracy at the state, federal and local levels, to ensure that site cleanup and remediation of contaminated property is efficient and focused.

Mr. Daehnke is a frequent speaker at State and local Bar programs and on industry panels and conferences, typically focusing on environmental remediation, toxic succession strategies and Brownfields redevelopment issues. He has testified before the Assembly Toxics Committee, authored dozens of articles and publications on these topics, and has served in leadership positions on numerous committees, associations and panels.