Kurt Oneto

Kurt Oneto leads the firm’s government law section and is a member of its management committee.

Mr. Oneto specializes in statewide ballot measures.  He is a recognized expert in initiative and referenda law, and he has served as counsel and legal strategist to over 60 ballot measure campaigns both in California and more than a half dozen other states.

In addition, Mr. Oneto’s practice covers a wide range of California Constitution, tax, state budget, and regulatory matters.  He has extensive experience representing clients before state agencies involved in licensure disputes, administrative enforcement actions, procurements, and regulatory hearings, and has litigated numerous cases dealing with ballot measures, California state budget procedure, transportation funding, and state and local tax matters.

Mr. Oneto currently serves on the executive committee of State Law Resources, Inc., an international network of independent law firms.

Before joining Nielsen Merksamer, Mr. Oneto worked for the California District Attorneys Association and interned for the California Senate and United States House of Representatives.  He attended the University of California, Berkeley where he was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a degree in Political Science.  He received his Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law.  After joining Nielsen Merksamer, Mr. Oneto earned a master’s degree in Government from Sacramento State University, where his graduate research focused on the effects of voter turnout levels on ballot measure election outcomes in California.

Mr. Oneto also authored “An Upside to City of Upland: Clarification on the Ability to Refer Majority-Vote Budget Trailer Bills,” Public Law Journal, vol. 42, no. 1 (Winter 2019).