Candidate for
Director; Inland Empire Utilities Agency; Division 3

Personal Experience

Steve and Stephanie Elie have been married for 17 years. They moved to Chino Hills in 1997, when they contemplated starting a family and raising their children in a diverse, family oriented community.

Steve and Stephanie are especially proud of their amazing daughter, Madison, age 10, and their incredible son, Jacob, age 8. In addition to attending Chino Valley public schools, Madison and Jacob are active in many after school activities and sports. Stephanie coaches Madison in softball and Steve coaches Jacob in AYSO soccer. The entire family is involved in community activities and projects.

Professional Experience

Steven J. Elie is a partner in Musick, Peeler & Garrett, LLP's Public and Environmental Law Group. His practice primarily focuses on complex litigation and advice on environmental cleanup, damages and litigation. Mr. Elie has defended and prosecuted a wide variety of environmental administrative and litigation matters. He regularly represents Public Entities and Public Utility Regulated Entities in complex, multiparty litigation and administrative matters involving groundwater and contamination.

Mr. Elie represents public agencies and water providers on a myriad of issues including:

Representing public water purveyors in the Inland Empire concerning perchlorate contamination involving dozens of parties over 50 years of operations

Representing water purveyors in Operable Units throughout Southern California

Representing the City of Morro Bay in connection with its prosecution of an administrative trial against Shell/Equilon/Equiva with respect to MtBE pollution caused by a Shell service station, one of the first MtBE related trials

Representing the City of Morro Bay in connection with the design, planning, regulatory approval and construction of a power plant

Successfully representing a Public Water District and a PUC regulated water company opposing a landfill's proposed project to inject water into an existing landfill (which had already leaked contamination).

Mr. Elie has represented clients in both the public and private sectors on matters involving CEQA, RCRA, CERCLA, NEPA, the Clean Water Act, the California Coastal Act, and a myriad of local ordinances before and with many City, County, State and Federal agencies. Mr. Elie has significant experience in the resolution of complex, multi-party litigation and administrative actions. He has been lead counsel for the Firm's clients in several cases which have been deemed complex by the Superior Court.

Mr. Elie received his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany, cum laude, in 1984 and received his J.D., from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1987 where he was President of the Associated Students at Hastings. Mr. Elie has been a member of the State Bar of California for over 20 years and is admitted to practice before (and has appeared before) all U.S. District Courts in California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Community involvement:

• Chair of the Measure M, Citizens' Oversight Committee of the Chino Valley Unified School District
• Board member of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce
• YMCA Board Member
• Friend of the Let It Be Foundation
• Vice Chair, Chino Hills Community Foundation
• AYSO soccer coach
• Sponsor, Salute to Public Safety, Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, 2010
• Treasurer, Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section.