Alan J. Smith

Mr. Smith's practice focuses on counseling and litigation, primarily in the areas of commercial transactions, real estate transactions, real estate finance and escrows. He has tried real estate actions in the Superior Courts of various counties, including actions involving fraud claims, contract claims, specific performance and rescission claims, title insurance claims, partition actions and easement disputes. Mr. Smith served as the City Attorney for the City of Watsonville from December 1995 and December 2021. Between 1996 and 1999, he served on the Community Service Policy Committee of the League of California Cities and was a member of the League's City Attorney's Department Legislative Committee in 1998 and 1999. In 2021 he completed his second two-year term as Monterey Bay Division representative to the League of California Cities Legal Advocacy Committee. He has also served for many years as general counsel to the Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro/Sunny Mesa Community Services District. Mr. Smith has been actively involved in leadership roles in the community throughout his legal career. He was a member of the Watsonville Rotary Club from 1989 to 2017 and served on its Board of Directors in various positions. Between 1991 and 1995, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and served as its president in 1993. He is immediate past chair of the Board of Directors in the Santa Cruz area Chamber of Commerce where he continues to serve on the Board. Mr. Smith was elected to the Governing Board of the Cabrillo Community College District in 1994 and was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010. He also served as Chair of the College's Governing Board in 1997, 2006 and 2012. He chaired the Cabrillo College Search Committee for a new president appointed in 2013. Mr. Smith also served on the Board of Directors of the Monterey County Law Library between 1980 and 1982 and the Santa Cruz County Law Library from 2010 to the present. He coached youth basketball for the Watsonville YMCA and was very active for many years with several leadership positions in Local Boy Scout Troop 599.