City Council

Item 101: Authorization to Retain Outside Counsel and Approval of Certain As-Needed\nAgreements for Various Selected Law Firms to Represent the City of San Diego in\nSeven Areas of Law.\nTotal Estimated Cost of Proposed Action and Funding Source:\nThe cost of each contract is in an amount not-to-exceed $500,000. Legal services are to be\nprovided on an as-needed basis so there is no need for an allocation of funds at this time.\nThe source of funding when the need for legal services arises under these contracts will be\nfrom the Public Liability Fund, or one or more Enterprise Funds, or the Citywide Program\nExpenditures of the General Fund, in a not-to-exceed amount appropriated each year by\nthe City Council.\nCouncil District(s) Affected: Citywide.\nProposed Actions:\n(R-2024-29)\nResolution authorizing the retention of 11 selected law firms to represent the City of San\nDiego as outside counsel on an as-needed basis in seven areas of law: (1) Employment\nlitigation, investigations and fact finding, and workers compensation law and litigation;\n(2) Regulatory agency law, land use, and litigation, including Clean Water Act and\nstormwater compliance issues; (3) Police excessive force/misconduct litigation, including\nalleged violations of 24 U.S.C. § 1983; (4) Election law, including ballot measures; (5)\nTort litigation; (6) Public integrity, ethics and professional standards law, including\ndebarment actions and related litigation; and (7) Municipal Governance, including\ninsurance coverage, real estate transactions, complex contracts, bankruptcy, Brown Act,\nand the Public Records Act; and approving one as-needed contract with the law firm\nNossaman LLP pursuant to San Diego Municipal Code section 22.3207 where the total\ncumulative contract awards exceed $1,000,000 based on the law firm having another\nexisting contract with the City of San Diego as well as this action.\nCommittee Actions Taken:\nThis item was heard at the Budget and Government Efficiency Committee meeting on\nJuly 12, 2023.\nACTION: Motion by Committee Member Lee, second by Committee Member LaCava,\nto recommend Council approval of staff's proposed actions.\nVOTE: 4-0; Montgomery Steppe-yea, Moreno-yea, LaCava-yea, Lee-yea.\nOffice of the City Attorney: Jim McNeill, (619) 533-5860\nCity Attorney Contact: Christina L. Rae