Board of Directors

In 2020 he received the “Unsung Legal Hero” award by the Sonoma County Bar Association. This was in recognition of his and the Office’s efforts in supporting the Public Health Officer in her work fighting the pandemic, his successful negotiation of a $185 million settlement against PG&E for damages caused by the 2017 Complex Fires, and pivotal role in founding the Secure Families Collaborative. He continues to serve as a trustee of the Secure Families Fund at the Community Foundation Sonoma County in support of the Collaborative.

While at County Counsel Bruce successfully negotiated model inter-governmental agreements with Sonoma County tribes regarding mitigation of casino impacts and trust property land use. In 2016 the County Counsel’s Office received awards from the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and National Association of Counties (NACo) for its Unaccompanied Child Deportation Defense Project where County staff and County Counsel attorneys assisted “Unaccompanied Children” who were residing in Sonoma County with their immigration cases. Bruce also represented the County for eight years in child welfare cases where he successfully advocated for all undocumented juvenile court dependents to receive independent immigration counsel.

Prior to coming to County Counsel Bruce was an attorney with the San Francisco law firm of Farella, Braun & Martel where he practiced complex business litigation and handled several pro bono asylum cases. He received his law degree at Stanford Law School and bachelor’s degree at the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in Sonoma Valley with his wife Vicki who is a land use planner, and his son Griffin is studying for his master’s degree in marine biology at the University of the Arctic in Tromso Norway.