City attorney’s office briefs commissioners on due‑process rules for quasi‑judicial hearings

Alexander Abbey, assistant city attorney for the City of Santa Clara, gave commissioners a detailed refresher on due‑process principles that apply to quasi‑judicial public hearings and offered practical guidance to reduce legal risk.

Abbey opened by quoting the constitutional standard: “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law,” and said the city has embedded due‑process protections into its code of ethics for hearings that affect property rights. He distinguished quasi‑judicial actions — for example conditional use permits, variances and subdivision maps — from legislative decisions such as general plan amendments, and said the protections are stricter for quasi‑judicial matters because they affect specific property interests.

Abbey walked commissioners through the usual due‑process elements…