SAN JOSE, Calif., September 4, 2006 - Daniel Ballesteros, a shareholder in Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, Inc.’s San Jose office, has been elected to the Board of the Mexican Heritage Plaza or Centro Cultural de San Jose (MHC), one of the largest Latino cultural centers in the nation.

"We are delighted to have Dan join the Board," stated MHC Board Chair Eddie Garcia. "We look forward to working with him to firmly establish the Plaza as the premier Latino arts center in California and a destination point in San Jose and the Bay Area."

“Working with the community has always been a passion of mine.  I am honored to be a part of an organization that really captures the spirit and culture of the region’s Mexican-American heritage,” said Ballesteros.

Ballesteros works in Hoge Fenton’s Real Estate and Litigation Groups, handling disputes arising from the purchase and sale of real property, as well as those related to ownership of real property.  He has successfully defended owners and brokers against allegations of nondisclosure, misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duties. In addition, he has represented property owners in all manner of disputes, including specific performance actions, partition actions and tort claims by and against third parties.

Ballesteros is a member of the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the California State Bar, has served three terms as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and is a member of the Santa Clara County Chapter of the American Inns of Court.  He received his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law at University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Stanford University.

About the Mexican Heritage Plaza

The mission of the Mexican Heritage Plaza is to affirm, celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Mexican community and showcase multicultural arts within the region. The Plaza is the largest Latino and multi-cultural arts facility in the state of California .  Founded in a partnership with the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose , the Plaza opened to the public in September 1999. Located in San Jose 's Mayfair/Alum Rock community, it is also one of the largest Latino cultural centers in the United States . The Plaza features a 500-seat state-of-the-art theatre, a 3,500 square foot gallery with Smithsonian Institution affiliation; two classrooms including an art and technology lab, conference room, public gardens; a multi-use pavilion and a large central plaza for public gatherings and performances.  Programming is multi-disciplinary, presented at the Plaza, in schools and at outreach sites in order to provide educational and arts opportunities for people of all ages.  The Plaza is a gathering spot for people of all cultures including Latinos, Blacks, and Asians including Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese, East Indians and many others.

About Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, Inc.:

Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, a 50-attorney firm serving the legal needs of clients in Northern and Central California from its offices in San Jose , Pleasanton and Palo Alto , celebrates more than 50 years of client service.  It provides advocacy representation and advice to both emerging and established companies in business and technology law, real estate and land use development, employment law, and estates, trusts and taxation.  Hoge, Fenton is recognized as one of Northern California 's most highly regarded law firms in the field of trial advocacy.