C.V of Jeremy Rappoport

JEREMY RAPPOPORT

Jeremy Rappoport is a practical, experienced, university educated horticulturist, certified and registered consulting arborist, tree risk assessor qualified (TRAQ), and California C-27 landscape contractor.  With four decades experience as a construction and land development professional for private and public master community developers and homebuilders, Mr. Rappoport’s career includes managing, supervising and consulting on landscape, arboriculture, horticulture, land development and infrastructure issues. Mr. Rappoport’s analytical abilities and problem solving skills enable him to comprehend pertinent data and critical issues. Decades of industry experience combined with professional credentials enable Mr. Rappoport to convincingly communicate his opinions in simple, decisive, and convincing  language.

Areas of Expertise

Certified and Registered Consulting Arborist for:

• Tree inventories
• Tree risk assessment
• Tree appraisals
• Tree monitoring and best management practices for tree protection during construction
• Wholesale ornamental tree and palm tree nursery appraisals
• Fire damaged tree and landscape appraisal report
• Root growth, infrastructure, hardscape damage issues
• Litigation support and expert witness for trip, slip and fall, plant selection, construction defect, landscape maintenance issue

Tree Risk Assessor and Professional Horticulturist for:

• Tree risk assessment
• Horticultural landscape design and plant selection, location, and trouble shooting
• Wholesale plant material procurement
• Litigation support and expert witness for tree risk assessment, forensic analysis, tree and plant related issues.

C-27 Landscape Contractor Consultant for:

• Landscape and irrigation design and maintenance issues
• Project and construction management services
• Operational testing and Irrigation trouble shooting
• Landscape subcontractor – general contractor conflicts
• Landscape contractor standard of care
• Litigation support and expert witness for landscape, installation, contracting, standard of care, irrigation, maintenance, and related landscape issues

Land Development Consultant for:

• Grading, soil subsidence, retaining wall, drainage, water intrusion, infrastructure issues
• Land development budgets, due diligence as required for entitlements, permit acquisition, critical path construction schedules, tentative and final map issues
• Biologic mitigation and restoration projects
• General contractor-subcontractor conflicts and standard of care
• Litigation support and expert witness for land development entitlements, permits, maps, plans, project and construction management

Expert Witness Consulting Services

Mr. Rappoport consults for defendant and plaintiff attorneys on landscape, arboriculture, horticulture and land development infrastructure issues. Cases may involve satisfaction of industry standard of care, or failure to adhere to jurisdiction or industry standard(s).  General description of cases involve:

• Plaintiff sued defendant HOA for tree failure upon their residence, Los Angeles, California.
• Defendant University sued by Plaintiff for injuries incurred when foot dropped into an open tree grate. San Diego, California.
• Defendant City sued by Plaintiff for city street tree roots damaging commercial building concrete slab. San Diego, California.
• Plaintiff homeowner sued neighbor for substandard maintenance practices resulting in a spite hedge and view obstruction, Rancho Santa Fe, California.
• Defendant homeowner sued by HOA for substandard pine tree pruning and removal.  Temecula, California.
• Defendant homeowner sued by Plaintiff neighbor for screening hedge dieback.  Palm Desert, California.
• Defendant homeowner sued by Plaintiff for fatality due to a tree failure.  Stark County, Ohio.
• Plaintiff sued defendant for injuries sustained tripping over a shrub stump in a parking island due to substandard pruning practices, Sunrise, Arizona.
• Defendant tree service contractor sued by plaintiff for tree failure and electrocution, Santa Barbara, CA.
• Defendant landscape contractor sued by plaintiff homeowner for damaged plant material due to herbicide treatment, Palm Springs area.
• Defendant City of San Diego sued by plaintiff for tree root damage to facility.  San Diego, CA.
• Defendant hotel resort in Palm Desert, CA, sued by guest for slip and fall alleged cause common area irrigation.
• Defendant HOA sued by plaintiff for injuries caused by raised sidewalk alleged cause by adjacent tree roots, Eastlake, CA.
• Plaintiff homeowner sued defendant HOA for damages caused by common area irrigation water intrusion, Aliso Viejo, CA.
• Plaintiff sued business defendant in Coachella, CA. for starting a fire in a palm tree nursery resulting in property damage.
• Plaintiff sued a Phoenix apartment Owner, property management company and landscape maintenance contractor for injuries sustained from slip and fall while walking on an irrigation flooded sidewalk.
• Plaintiff sued City of Phoenix for injuries due to slip and fall hazard created by substandard irrigation practices at a city park.
• Plaintiff sued the City of West Covina for injuries sustained from tripping on a raised sidewalk panel due to street tree root encroachment.
• Defendant storage facility sued by neighbor for tree pruning and loss of value, San Bernardino, CA.
• Defendant sued by neighbor for property damages incurred during retaining wall construction, damaged tree hedge and tree appraisal. Del Mar, CA.
• Plaintiff sued the City of San Diego for injuries sustained when struck by a wrong way driver on a one-way street on Fiesta Island due to a shrub blocking a sight line.
• Plaintiff sued California State University San Diego for injuries sustained from falling on a sub-standard temporary paved sidewalk.
• Plaintiff sued a City in Southern California for injuries sustained due to plant material impairing the visual sightline, Santa Monica, CA.
• Defendant lodge owner was sued for a tree failure onto adjacent neighbor in Sequoia National Park.
• Defendant amusement park in San Diego sued by guest plaintiff when struck by a palm frond.
• Plaintiff sued defendant landscape contractor for wetlands encroachment in Kings County, Washington state.
• Plaintiff sued multiple defendants for a tree limb falling on and killing their son, sub-standard of care, Irma, South Carolina.
• Defendant homebuilder sued by HOA plaintiff for fence, wall and slope erosion in Carlsbad, CA.
• Plaintiff sued defendant CalTrans for personal injuries when her automobile struck a Eucalyptus tree along highway 405 right of way.
• Defendant HOA and tree service contractor sued by plaintiff resident for injuries sustained from fallen Coral tree, Cypress, CA.
• Plaintiff sued the defendant neighbor for a “spite hedge” grown to block the plaintiffs view. San Diego, CA.
• Defendant City of San Diego sued by plaintiff for injuries sustained by falling palm frond.
• Plaintiff resident sued defendant college school district for injuries sustained stepping into a substandard drainage inlet, Hemet, CA.
• Defendant homeowner sued by plaintiff for alleged pine tree decline due to bark beetle damage.  Del Mar, CA.
• Defendant hotel sued by plaintiff guest for injuries sustained while stepping into a grass hidden depression, Houston, Texas.
• Plaintiff developer sued defendant city for sub-standard entitlement process for subdivision mapping.  Riverside, CA.
• Plaintiff property owner sued defendant general and landscape contractor for negligent contracting practices, San Diego, CA.
• Plaintiff sued defendant PGE for electrocution death caused by high voltage lines during tree pruning.  Northern CA.
• Defendant landscape contractor sued by plaintiff for incorrect location of a retaining wall.  San Francisco, CA.
• Plaintiff sued a golf course for injuries sustained from slip and fall on tee area.  Eastlake, CA.

Commercial & Residential Consulting Services:

• Consulting arborist for root investigation lifting sidewalk resulting in injury for a legal firm.
• Consulting arborist for Torrey Pine tree protection during asphalt renovation project at UCSD.
• Consulting arborist for tree protection at UCSD Price Center expansion.
• Consulting arborist for California Business Law Group for Brazilian pepper tree growth onto neighboring property.  San Diego, California.
• Consulting arborist for Coast Law Group for a Torrey Pine limb failure.
• Consulting arborist for Nasland Engineering on the Coronado Lawn Bowling Green Improvements.
• Consulting arborist for UCSD, Torrey Pine protection and best management practices during construction at the Marine Technology Technology Facility.
• Consulting arborist for PCL Construction Inc., UCSD-Trident Center Renovation on campus at UCSD. Provided tree inventory and report on tree retention, protection and relocation.
• Consulting arborist for Atkinson / Clark, GC firm for the GSA San Ysidro – U.S. Port of Entry – Phase 3, existing tree protection project, site inspection, inventory, analysis and report on retention and tree protection BMP’s.
• Consulting arborist for the San Diego Zoo, performed tree risk assessment, updated their tree inventory and tree risk assessment report.
• Consulting arborist for Zephyr Homes “Resort Specific Plan”, a proposed five-star hotel development along the coastal bluffs, Del Mar. CA.
• Developed a landscape and irrigation performance report and recommendations for Parkview at Dennery Ranch HOA.
• Developed a Torrey Pine tree protection plan required by the City of Del Mar for two custom homes developed by Zephyr Partners.
• Project and construction management services for Leisure World, Mutual #12, Seal Beach, including 15-acre irrigation system re-design and turf renovation project.
• Tree inspection and arborist report for Queensgate HOA, Escondido, CA.
• Landscape appraisal for Construction Services Company and Capital Insurance Group for property damage caused by Pocket fire, Sonoma county, CA.
• Tree and landscape appraisals for Kemper Insurance Services for the property damage caused by the Thomas wildfire, Ventura and Santa Barbara, CA.
• Landscape plant material health assessment and report, Talega HOA, San Clemente, CA.
• Tree risk assessment and report on a Eucalyptus tree for the Ocean Beach Community Garden.
• Field inspection, tree inventory and health assessment for trees located in the median of South Mission Blvd. Fallbrook, CA. for the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance.
• Provided field inspections, health assessments and reports for fire damaged willow and eucalyptus habitats for Aviara Premier Collections HOA, Carlsbad, CA.
• Provided a field inspection, developed a tree inventory and health assessment report for median street trees on South Mission Blvd, for the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance.
• Conducted a field investigation of damaged trees in the Butte Fire for Gomez Trial Attorneys.
• Provided arborist consultant inspection and report to Zephyr Homes for submittal to the City of Del Mar.
• Provided inventory and appraisal services for American AgCredit for a 20-acre ornamental palm grower in Thermal, CA.
• Conducted a field assessment of property damaged caused by neighbors tree for Pacific Specialty Insurance.
• Conducted a field investigation to determine cause of tree damage for United Specialty Insurance Company.
• Investigated and determined cause of vandalized heritage Torrey Pine tree for a private property in Solana Beach, CA.
• Conducted a field investigation to determine cause of tree failure for AIG Insurance in Del Mar, CA.
• Conducted a field investigation to determine property damage caused for Farmers Insurance in Santa Ana, CA.
• Provided tree inventory and risk assessment consultant services to Point Loma Tennis Club, a 388-unit condominium association in San Diego.
• Developed a tree inventory and certified arborist report to PlanCom, Inc. for submittal to the City of San Diego for entitlement and permitting purposes.
• Developed a tree inventory and appraisal for The Palm Tree Company Kentia palm tree wholesale nursery grower in Encinitas, CA.
• Provided sub-consultant services to Estrada Land Planning for the City of San Diego Torrey Pines Median street improvement project.
• Provided sub-consultant services to Kimley-Horn & Associates, Civil Engineer for the SANDAG South Bay BRT Project,
• Developed a tree inventory and wholesale, retail and liquidation appraisals for Links Nursery, a 91 – acre wholesale palm grower located in Thermal, California.
• Provided sub-consultant services to Beta Engineering, general contractor for the Suncrest Substation, a portion of the SDG&E Sunrise Power link Project.
• Consulting arborist provided tree inspection, inventory and report to Campland on the Bay, a fifty-acre RV campground located on Mission Bay, San Diego.
• Landscape and consulting arborist, provided landscape inspection and report recommendations for De Anza Bayside Village, Newport Beach.
• Landscape and development consultant to Cassidy Turley Property Management for retaining wall and storm drain flooding issues.
• Landscape and horticulture consultant for a private 1.5-acre estate in Beverly Hills for project and construction management landscape renovation.
• Tree protection monitoring, tree health and tree risk assessment arborist reports for San Diego residential clients.

Significant Prior Achievements

Director of Land Development for K. Hovnanian Homes:

Managed, supervised and motivated a team of direct reports for multiple land development projects throughout Southern California.Projects included developing raw, entitled land and blue top lots for single and multi family subdivision housing.

• Created a field land development construction department,
  eliminated $700K in annual construction management consultants.
• Supervised and mentored a team of eight direct reports.
• Developed pro-forma development budgets for land acquisition.
• Responsible for tri-annual budget updates with the Regional
  President.
• Satisfied conditions to obtain Tentative and Final Maps.
• Procured professional consultant contracts.
• Contract administration, change orders and invoice approval.
• Developed critical path development schedules.
• Owner liaison with jurisdictional agencies.
• Coordination and negotiation with offsite neighbors.

Director of Operations for Starwood Santa Fe Valley Partners LLC:

Supervised daily operations for development and construction of The Crosby Estate in Rancho Santa Fe, an 800-acre master planned, 440 private custom lot community and The Crosby National Golf Club, a PGA style private golf course, for Starwood Santa Fe Valley Partners LLC.