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City attorney seeks three temporary attorneys, asks committee to use reserves for federal litigation
Summary
City Attorney David Chu asked the Budget and Appropriations Committee to preserve funding for three attorney FTEs to support litigation against federal actions; the Budget and Legislative Analyst flagged the positions as a potential reduction and recommended board-level policy review.
City Attorney David Chu told the Budget and Appropriations Committee on June 18 that his office needs funding for three additional attorney positions to handle litigation tied to the federal administration and defended the department’s plan to use reserve dollars for the hires.
The Budget and Legislative Analyst recommended the committee consider reducing a programmatic project that includes the three new 8177-class attorneys and identified about $843,000 in potential savings by eliminating those positions. Dan Goncher of the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s office summarized the fiscal recommendations and said the programmatic project “is related to the complications…with the federal administration and the city's response to those,” and that it is a policy matter for the Board of Supervisors to weigh.
Why it matters: The city attorney’s office said the additional litigation capacity is needed immediately to defend city programs against federal actions that could affect programs including Medicaid, housing subsidies and other services the city provides. The request would draw on a portion of the city's reserve rather than recurring general fund growth.
David Chu said his office accepts the BLA’s fiscal recommendations but asked policymakers to support the policy ask for the three attorneys. “We have devoted significant resources to doing what we're doing already. But at this moment, it's unsustainable,” Chu said, stressing workload on trial and labor teams and noting the hires include positions that would generate revenue on the affirmative litigation side.
Committee chair Supervisor Connie Chan acknowledged the pressure on the city attorney’s office and said she was inclined to support using reserves for the temporary hires to protect city programs. Vice Chair Mac Dorsey also voiced support, citing the prior successful litigation work the office conducted during the previous federal administration.
The BLA’s analysis noted the project totals roughly $1,060,000 per year for salary and benefits for the three positions, and that the city attorney reported 158 attorneys on staff with 12 vacancies; the department plans to fill those vacancies and also has two airport-funded attorney positions.
No formal action was taken on the request during the committee meeting. The BLA characterized the issue as a policy decision for the full Board of Supervisors because it involves using one-time reserve dollars and a programmatic project that bundles several expenditures.
