Jim Harnish, JD

Principal / Owner

Jim Harnish, JD, is the Principal/Owner of Mintier Harnish and will be the project team leader. Jim has been a planner and project manager since 1970. He has been an attorney since 1981, with extensive experience in land use and CEQA. Jim has been Planning Director for three cities (Galt, Folsom, and South San Francisco) and understands every aspect of city and county planning and zoning. He has managed or is currently managing general plan updates for the cities of Alturas, Folsom, Galt, Gilroy, Hayward, Healdsburg, Isleton, Millbrae, Sacramento, South San Francisco, Union City, Wheatland, and Windsor, and the counties of Calaveras, Fresno, Merced, Modoc, San Benito, San Joaquin, and Ventura. Jim is currently managing zoning code updates or amendments, some of which are SB2-funded projects, for the cities of Gilroy, Santa Clara, South Lake Tahoe, Ukiah, and Windsor and the counties of Fresno, Mariposa, and Sierra. Finally, Jim is managing the Shasta Lake Housing Element Update, which was approved by HCD in June 2020. Jim has an unparalleled working knowledge of general plan updates and has prepared dozens of general plan work programs and budgets.