Cox Castle Mourns the Passing of Partner Michael Zischke

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Cox Castle Mourns the Passing of Partner Michael Zischke

2025-01-10 08:12 Last Updated At：08:31

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 9, 2025--

It is with profound sadness that Cox Castle announces Michael Zischke, a partner and leading land use and environmental attorney, passed away on Thursday, January 2 nd. Mike was a partner in Cox Castle’s San Francisco office for nearly 18 years.

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Survived by his wife Nadine and daughters Julie and Jessica, Mike will be fondly remembered by his colleagues as someone for whom the profession was always personal and who cared deeply about his work.

Mike was a talented and award-winning land use and environmental lawyer. He was recognized for his extensive knowledge in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) litigation and compliance. He co-authored the two-volume treatise Practice Under the California Environmental Quality Act, the CEQA treatise most often cited by California courts, which was first published in 1993 and is now in its second edition.

Over his 40+ year career, his commitment and passion for his work resulted in numerous professional accolades and countless published articles. For 22 consecutive years, Mike was ranked as one of California’s leading attorneys in both environmental law and real estate/land use by Chambers USA, one of the most prestigious awards in the legal industry. According to Chambers USA, Mike’s clients touted him as “one of the leading land use attorneys in the US" and “an excellent environmental attorney."

“Mike embodied so many of the characteristics we value here at Cox Castle,” observed Mathew Wyman, Chair of Cox Castle. “He possessed a deep commitment in service to the real estate industry, our clients, and the firm. He gave generously of his time, always willing to collaborate with his colleagues and mentor our young lawyers.But even more than that, what I think we will really miss at the firm, is Mike’s presence in the office. He genuinely cared deeply for his friends and colleagues, and he always took time to listen to and ask about the welfare of those around him. It goes without saying that he will be remembered as a preeminent lawyer whose impact will be long lasting, But for those of us lucky enough to have been able to spend time with Mike, he will always serve as an inspiration as we strive to move forward while honoring his legacy.”

“Mike had a true passion for the law, and he brought that to his practice as a leading partner at Cox Castle, ever since joining us in 2007,” observed Dwayne McKenzie, Managing Partner of Cox Castle. ”Mike was a mentor to many of us – partners and associates alike. His was always a voice of wisdom, reason, and wit. He was both a scholar and a lawyer’s lawyer, in every sense of the word. He was an extraordinary person and an outstanding lawyer. He will be sorely missed by all of us.”

Mike, a mentor and friend to many in the legal profession, was involved in numerous professional organizations. He was a founding member of the advisory board for the Center for Law, Energy & Environment at Berkeley Law, and was involved with Lambda Alpha (honorary land economics society), the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the California Building Industry Association, among many others. He received a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 1982 and a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1977.

Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP

Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP was founded in Los Angeles in 1968, with the goal of providing superior and comprehensive legal services to businesses, institutions, and individuals in all aspects of the real estate, finance, and construction industries. Cox Castle is now one of the largest full-service law firms specializing in real estate in the United States with more than 140 transactional and litigation attorneys in its Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Francisco offices.

The firm has substantial expertise in matters involving land and improved property acquisitions and dispositions; joint ventures; single and multifamily residential development; land use, entitlement and regulatory compliance (including coastal commission and condemnation); office, industrial, retail and mixed-use development, leasing and management; commercial lending and institutional investment; loan workouts and financial restructuring; construction; resort and hospitality; labor and employment; risk management and insurance; environmental compliance; renewable energy and natural resources; and tax and estate planning. For more information, please visit www.coxcastle.com.

New LA-area fire prompts more evacuations as officials say thousands of homes, buildings have burned

2025-01-10 08:26 Last Updated At：08:31

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new fire prompted evacuations Thursday in and around Los Angeles even as firefighters aided by calmer winds saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region’s deadly and devastating wildfires, while the enormity of the devastation started to emerge.

The Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley near the West Hills neighborhood and close to Ventura County. The evacuation order covered parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

The orders came as Los Angeles County officials announced the Eaton Fire near Pasadena that started Tuesday night burned more than 4,000 to 5,000 structures including vehicles.

Thousands of other structures in Pacific Palisades on the coast also burned.

The Kenneth blaze ignited less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the El Camino Real Charter High School, where people are sheltering from the fire in Palisades. The two fires are about 10 miles (18 kilometers) apart.

Dozens of blocks were flattened to smoldering rubble in scenic Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of homes and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.

At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries were lost. So too were the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.

AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, estimated the overall damage could reach $57 billion.

City leaders were encouraged Thursday after firefighters made significant gains at slowing the spread of the two biggest fires that had ignited block after block from Pacific Palisades to inland Altadena, a community near Pasadena.

Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills, allowing an evacuation to be lifted Thursday. The fire that sparked up late Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.

“While we are still facing significant threats, I am hopeful that the tide is turning,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said Thursday.

Water dropped from aircraft helped fire crews quickly seize control of the fires in the Hollywood Hills and Studio City, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. Much of the widespread destruction occurred Tuesday after those aircraft were grounded due to high winds.

Wind gusts were expected to strengthen Thursday evening through Friday morning, with another round of strong winds expected early next week, raising concerns that the conditions could worsen, the National Weather Service said.

But Thursday's daytime forecast provided a window for firefighters — including crews pouring in from neighboring states and Canada — to make progress in reining in blazes that have killed at least five people and caused thousands of people to flee their homes.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said firefighters were able to keep the Hollywood Hills blaze in check because “we hit it hard and fast and Mother Nature was a little nicer to us.”

Fire officials said Thursday that they don’t yet know the cause of the fires but are actively investigating.

Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 80 mph (129 kph) blew embers, igniting the Southern California hillsides.

Right now, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.

“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn’t even a stick of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.

The five deaths recorded so far were from those two fires. Cadaver dogs and search crews are searching through rubble and the death toll is expected to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come, but they did not make it out, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.

Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.

On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained.

While the two main fires were no longer spreading significantly, both remained at 0% containment, officials said.

At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles' history.

At least 20 arrests have been made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew Wednesday night because of the lawlessness, officials said. Luna said to protect properties national guard troops would be stationed near the areas ravaged by fire and a curfew was expected to go into effect from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., starting as soon as Thursday.

Flames destroyed the homes of several celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.

Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to start a “fund of support” for those affected by the fires that touched all economic levels from the city’s wealthy to its working class.

California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.

Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) of rain since early May.

Robert Lara sifted through the remains of his home in Altadena on Thursday with tears in his eyes, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.

“All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that were gifted from generation to generation to generation are now gone,” he said.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes, Eugene Garcia and Krysta Fauria, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed.