Attorney fought City Hall over development

For more than two decades, attorney Silverstein Robert struck fear some loathing and in cases, in Hollywood's a real estate establishment.

- DAVID ZAHNISER

AL SEIB Los Angeles Times HOLLYWOOD FIGHTER Attorney Robert Silverstein, in 2020, opposed a pair of skyscrapers next to the Capitol Records building.

During one legal battle, Silverstein convinced judge to halt construction of a Target on Sunset Boulevard, even though work on the three-story structure was well underway. In another, he secured a ruling the city's overturning approval of the Millennium project, a pair of 39- and 35story skyscrapers that had been planned next to the Capitol Records building.

In yet another case, Silverstein, working as part of a legal team, helped persuade a judge to strike down the City Council's approval of the Hollywood Community Plan update, which called for taller, denser development along transit corridors. The city's planning department spent nearly a decade rewriting the plan.

Silverstein died Nov. 13 at the age of 57, according to a family member. He is survived by his wife and three children, his mother and two brothers. The cause of his death was not disclosed.

Several of Silverstein's former clients praised him for his keen attention to detail and for taking on cases against larger, wealthier adversaries.

"He always said he was trying to stick up for the little guy against the government," said Doug Haines, a Hollywood resident who worked with Silverstein on more than a dozen lawsuits.

"That was his whole focus, and he meant it." The son of a rabbi, Silverstein handled cases across Southern California, zeroing in on what he viewed as violations of zoning plans, public records laws, historic preservation rules, eminent domain procedures and the state's environmental law, known by its acronym CEQA. Silverstein represented clients in Baldwin Park, Culver City, Glendora, Palmdale, Pasadena, Santa Ana and other communities.