A subcommittee of the Charter Review Committee is slated to continue its discussion on the role and power of the City Attorney’s Office tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. on the 12th floor of City Hall at 202 C St.
The group has been discussing the advantages of having an appointed city attorney rather than an elected one. (A consultant’s report to the subcommittee argued that the office was more effective as an appointed one previous to the 1931 change and said elected city attorneys are essentially only a California thing.)
It is also considering recommending changes to the city’s constitution that would spell out that the city attorney’s client is the City Council. City Attorney Mike Aguirre has argued throughout his tenure that his client is the public and, therefore, he can bring lawsuits without the City Council’s approval.
As I wrote yesterday, the Charter Review Committee is one of many different ways the long-standing dispute could be settled.
Any changes to the city charter recommended by the charter committee will be forwarded to the City Council, which will decide what appears on the 2008 ballot.