Steve Oliva joined the Department in 1981 as a manager overseeing land conservation programs, emphasizing the Williamson Act and the Open Space Subvention Act.   He subsequently served as head of the department's Office of Land Conservation (now the Division of Land Resource Protection) and Deputy Chief for the Division of Recycling.   He has been a counsel for the Department since 1993, and Chief Counsel since 2006.   As Chief Counsel, Steve formulates legal policy and advises top management on legal issues affecting all of the department's programs and administrative matters including land resource protection, recycling, mine reclamation, oil, gas and geothermal regulation, and geologic resources and hazards. Steve also continues to serve as the Department's legal expert on the issues relating to the Williamson Act.

Before joining the Department, he served with a number of state entities including staff positions at Caltrans, the California Energy Commission, Air Resources Board, the Resources Agency, the Departments of Parks and Recreation and Forestry, and as a governing board member with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and also with the California-Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Steve received his law degree from McGeorge School of Law in 1992; he was awarded baccalaureate degrees in geography and environmental studies from UC Santa Barbara in 1972.     He lives in Carmichael with his wife, Susan Ellis, and daughters Stephanie and Mary.