Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legal Services Contract topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Francisco LAFCO approves four-year legal services contract with Richards, Watson & Gershon
Summary
The San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission approved a four-year contract with Richards, Watson & Gershon for LAFCO legal services at a Jan. 4 special meeting after an RFP process; commissioners accepted conforming amendments including that the contract commence upon commission approval.
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission approved a four-year contract with law firm Richards, Watson & Gershon for legal services at its special meeting Jan. 4, 2019, approving the agreement by unanimous consent after staff described the RFP and evaluation process.
Executive Officer Brian Goble told the commission he sought approval of the contract after the commission had authorized an RFP because the prior legal-services contract had not been updated in more than 20 years. "I'm here today to ask your approval of a contract for LAFCO legal services," Goble said, describing an RFP issued Aug. 17 with a deadline later extended to Oct. 26. He said LAFCO received four proposals and convened an evaluation panel that recommended Richards, Watson & Gershon as the highest-scoring firm.
Goble cited the firm's experience working on community-choice aggregation projects and municipal finance matters, saying the firm had been "instrumental in getting Marin Clean Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy off the ground" and noting its expertise in CEQA, open-meeting laws and land-use planning. Goble asked the commission to approve a resolution and a four-year contract with Ms. Khalsa serving as general counsel; Goble said Ms. Khalsa and her partner, Greg Stepanis, were present in the audience.
Commissioner Hillary Ronan praised Goble's first RFP process, saying, "It looks like you ran a very, great process for your first RFP," and welcomed the new executive officer and the firm to LAFCO. Following a brief exchange and an opportunity for public comment—during which no members of the public spoke—staff noted several conforming and clarifying amendments to the contract, the most significant being language that the contract will commence upon approval by the commission.
A motion to accept the amendments was seconded by Commissioner Santi Singh and adopted without objection. A subsequent motion to approve the legal services contract as amended was moved, seconded by Commissioner Hillary Ronan and approved "without objections," according to the meeting record. The chair then called for the next agenda items and adjourned the meeting.
The contract approval concludes the commission's procurement process for legal counsel; the transcript does not record a roll-call vote or a recorded tally, and it does not specify contract compensation or other contract terms beyond the term length and commencement condition.
