What We Do
The City Attorney's Office consists of 70 employees, including 25 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.
It 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, Development Services, Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Communications, Energy Resources, Financial Management, Fire, Harbor, Health & Human Services, Human Resources, Library, Parks & Recreation, Police, Public Works, and Technology & Innovation.
Some of the types of matters handled by the office:
- Institute numerous nuisance abatement, procedures and eviction, and provide the legal assistance which results in the closure and/or eviction of problem tenants.
- Receive and respond to written requests for legal assistance from various City offices.
- 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.
- Port of Long Beach - One of the nation's busiest container ports with over 4 billion in ongoing development.
- Airport - In total operations, the tenth busiest airport in the nation.
- Energy Resources - One of only three municipal natural gas utilities in California and the nation’s only municipal crude oil production company.
- 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.
- Water - Complete water and sewer service.
- 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.
- Public Health - One of only three municipal public health departments in California.
- Towing/Storage/lmpound - One of the few municipal towing and storage operations in the state.
- Successor Agency (formally the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Long Beach.)
