LOS ANGELES-Steve Zimmer revealed plans on Wednesday to leave his post as executive vice president of Newhall Ranch & Farming Co. of Santa Clarita, CA, and join the Los Angeles-based law firm of Gilchrist & Rutter.

In his new assignment, Zimmer says he looks forward to working on the permitting process and other regulatory issues facing developers. “I still want to work on entitlements, issues relating to the California Environmental Quality Act, state and federal agencies like Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife and other legal hurdles facing development projects,” he says.

Zimmer’s background as both city attorney in the earlier part of his career, plus his subsequent work at Newhall Land negotiating with numerous public agencies, has given him an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of negotiating land-use agreements. “I’ve worked on every kind issue—public works, engineering, planning,” he says. “I knew all these issues from the public agency side while gaining knowledge about the development side,” he says.