Post-Bar Fellow (2025)

History of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office 

"The city attorney is both the city government's lawyer and a criminal prosecutor. In its early days, Los Angeles had a procurador syndico whose duty was to defend public rights.  One of the municipal officers specified in the 1850 Act of Incorporation was the city attorney. The 1925 charter added a city prosecutor. That office was abolished in 1932, and the city attorney assumed its duties. The city attorney shares responsibility for prosecuting crime in the city with the elected district attorney of the county of Los Angeles. The district attorney prosecutes felonies while the city attorney prosecutes misdemeanor violations occurring in the city. The city attorney handles more than 100,000 misdemeanor cases a year. The city attorney's Municipal Counsel Branch acts as the lawyer for departments, elected officials and city commissions. As counsel to the city, the city attorney may be asked to interpret the city charter, a document that may sometimes be open to several interpretations. Another important duty of the city attorney is to represent the city in civil litigation. The city attorney works with city departments on risk management issues to reduce legal liability for the city and also defends the city in cases involving workers' compensation. City officials. departments and commissions rely on the city attorney for advice on how to provide public notice of meetings and how to run meetings with due regard for public comment. The city attorney now also advises neighborhood councils, as it does other city bodies and departments. on an as-needed basis". Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein. Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government.