Daniel Leacox represents business clients in California government affairs concerning occupational health and safety, pesticide regulation, green chemistry, and Proposition 65. He represents many chemical, material, and product manufacturers in regulatory as well as legislative matters related to the health and safety issues presented by their products. He is part of the firm's consumer product compliance team.
Areas of Concentration
• Government affairs
• Green chemistry
• Occupational safety and health
• Pesticide regulation
• Proposition 65
• Public records
Awards & Recognition
• Team Member, a U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Government Relations Law Firm of the Year," 2014
• Ranked, Tier 1 - Government Relations, Sacramento Metropolitan Area
• Named, Cal-OSHA Reporter, "California's Most Influential People In Occupational Safety and Health," 2012
Professional Experience
Significant Representations
• Helped an industry coalition defeat a high priority labor bill in a labor friendly legislature. Among other things, the bill would have removed stakeholder input from the process of setting occupational exposure limits.
• Represented clients on the Green Chemistry Coalition's Technical Committee with specific responsibility for analysis and advocacy regarding the regulation of chemicals in the workplace.
• Organized a California science conference on the use of mode of action data in regulatory risk assessments and California's green chemistry initiative; obtained industry sponsors; co-chaired the program committee consisting of Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), industry, non-governmental organization (NGO) and academia representatives.
• Registered more than 30 antimicrobial consumer products with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for several clients; products included air, surface and water treatments; obtained expedited registration for several clients allowing them to meet distribution deadlines.
• Represented several industries in a two-year advisory committee convened by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health to develop new guidelines for setting occupational exposure limits.
• Represented chemical, material and product manufacturers in the California process for setting five contentious occupational exposure limits.
• Obtained more than 400 permanent and 40 temporary variances from Cal/OSHA rules.
• Obtained approval on a petition for rulemaking by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.
• Worked with Cal/OSHA to reconsider chemical exposure limits already proposed to the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board and to convene special committees with industry representatives to reconsider the limits in light of economic impacts and feasibility, as well as scientific evidence; organized and represented the concerned industries in the special committees formed.
• Developed the Proposition 65 compliance program for a large manufacturer of nutrition supplements and delivered the program in written and oral presentations to company executives and technicians; evaluated the compliance of more than 200 supplements subject to litigation using confidentiality agreements; acquired the proprietary data needed from suppliers and competitors; researched the origins of certain raw materials; gathered proprietary data from mining companies and manufacturers worldwide in a very competitive environment.
• Negotiated with the Department of Pesticide Regulation to settle charges and penalties for selling an unregistered pesticide in California.
• Managed the permit process for a new pyrotechnics assembly plant in the protected habitat of California's desert tortoise; worked with federal, state and local agencies to satisfy the Conditional Use Permit; when the project stumbled because the builder couldn't provide satisfactory plans, developed the design specifications needed by architects unfamiliar with the industry; accounted for production flows and capacity needs that changed dramatically throughout the year; created the industry's first conversion chart between the weights in explosive regulations, the dimensions in building codes and the pieces in production records.
• Conducted performance audits for two clients with large state contracts, one with the California Department of Health Services and the other with the California Department of Education; established the factual basis for combating state audit findings and preliminary decisions to cancel further contracts.
• Researched the California government market for prefabricated structures, including portable classrooms, highway sound walls and detention facilities; analyzed dollar potentials, design approvals, and purchasing procedures; identified the decision-makers and how to reach them; in several cases, made the initial contact with state officials.
Publications & Presentations
Articles, Lectures & Publications
Publications
• Co-Author, The Destiny of Freedom: A Manual for the American Citizen, Citizen Information Network, 1998
Articles
• Quoted, "Employers: Heat Illness Proposal 'Not Ready for Prime Time'," Cal-OSHA Reporter, October 3, 2014
• Co-Author, "California Update: Prop 65 Status, Prop 65 Reform, HCS Differences, Opposition to SB 193, and Ethylbenzene PEL," Styrene Industry News, May 2013
• Quoted, "Worker Advocates Say Ethylbenzene PEL Should be Lowered 10 Times More," Cal-Osha Reporter, January 25, 2013
• Author, "California Not the Same as OSHA on Definition of a Serious Health & Safety Violation," GT Alert, October 2010
• Co-Author, "Parting Gifts from the Governator - California's Significant New Employment Laws," GT Alert, October 2010
• Co-Author, "Your Shoes Could be a Pesticide," GT Alert, October 2009
• Author, "Permissible Exposure Limits: What are your Priorities?" GT Sacramento Newsletter, February 2008
• Author, "Report on California Permissible Exposure Limits," GT Sacramento Newsletter, April 2007
• Author, "Permissible Exposure Limits (PELS) in California," GT Sacramento Newsletter, July 2006
• Author, "The Future of FRP Composites in California's Transportation Infrastructure," Composites Manufacturing Magazine, January 2006
• Author, "The Crucible of Heat Illness Prevention," Livingston & Mattesich Newsletter, September 2005
• Author, "DOSH Reviewing Worker Safety Rules," Livingston & Mattesich Newsletter, June 2005
