What We Do
The City Attorney's Office consists of 53 employees, including 26 attorneys. The duties of this office are set forth in the City's Charter, which provides that the City Attorney shall be the sole and exclusive legal advisor of the City, City Council and all City commissions, committees, officers and employees. It is charged with municipal legal responsibilities as complex as any in the state.
We are committed to providing a high level of quality legal service. This office furnishes the legal support for a full-service municipal operation, including all City departments: Airport, City Auditor, City Clerk, City Manager, City Prosecutor, Civil Service, Community Development, Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Communications, Energy Resources, Financial Management, Fire, Harbor, Health & Human Services, Human Resources, Library, Parks & Recreation, Police, Public Works, Technology & Innovation, and Utility Services.
SOME OF THE TYPES OF MATTERS HANDLED BY THE OFFICE:
- Institute numerous nuisance abatement, procedures and eviction, and provide legal assistance resulting in the closure and/or eviction of problem tenants.
- Receive and respond to requests for legal assistance from all City departments.
- Prepare formal contracts and leases, as well as several thousand opinions and other legal documents.
- Prepare all ordinances and resolutions for the City.
- Receive and investigate all liability claims for money damages and all workers' compensation claims.
- Represent the City in all litigated matters.
- Attend and furnish legal advice and assistance at hundreds of meetings of all boards, commissions and committees of the City.
In addition, on a daily basis, the office provides legal advice and assistance to all City enterprise activities (many of which are not normally undertaken by municipalities). They include:
- Airport - In total operations, the tenth busiest airport in the nation.
- Energy Resources – The nation’s only municipal crude oil production company.
- Long Beach Recovery Act - The Long Beach Recovery Act funds a number of major economic, public health, and fiscal initiatives for Long Beach residents, business owners and workers critically impacted by the pandemic.
- Port of Long Beach - One of the nation's busiest container ports with over 4 billion in ongoing development.
- Public Health - One of only three municipal public health departments in California.
- SERRF - A successful large operating municipal trash-to-energy plant in California. It generates enough energy to fill the needs of 100,000 people per day.
- Successor Agency (formally the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Long Beach.)
- Tidelands - Includes a major convention and entertainment complex and the largest small boat marina in the United States as well as 5-1/2 miles of beaches and lifeguard services.
- Towing/Storage/lmpound - One of the few municipal towing and storage operations in the state.
- Utilities Services - Complete water, gas, and sewer service.
