Three top county attorneys departed the County Counsel’s Office last Friday, just three days before two county supervisors publicly announced their choice to lead the office.
Veteran lawyers Erica Cortez, Caitlin Rae and Heidi Skinner served as the top deputies to now-former county counsel Claudia Silva and acting County Counsel David Smith.
The three high-level departures coincided with the announcement that supervisors are set to vote Tuesday to make Damon Brown, now a special assistant state attorney general, the lead county counsel serving the board and county staff. Democratic Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe announced the proposed appointment Monday.
The county kicked off a national search for a new top lawyer after the abrupt July retirement of former county counsel Claudia Silva, which followed a hastily scheduled closed-session review of Silva’s performance a day after Democrats achieved a majority on the Board of Supervisors.
County spokesperson Tammy Glenn said Tuesday that Cortez, Rae and Skinner left to “pursue other opportunities.”
County Counsel’s Office staff learned of the departures via a Dec. 18 email from Smith obtained by Voice of San Diego.
“The assistant county counsel positions will be assessed once the new county counsel is in place,” Smith wrote.
The three attorneys each played key roles in the office’s day-to-day work.
On her LinkedIn page, Rae wrote that she oversaw 40 attorneys representing the county’s Health and Human Services Agency while Skinner’s described her supervision of “all litigation attorneys and outside counsel.”
Cortez wrote on her page that she handled “complex and high-profile projects and personnel matters” as a principal assistant to the county counsel.
Glenn wrote in an email that the county is taking steps to ensure a smooth transition.
If appointed, Brown will take over as county counsel on Jan. 26.
“The new county counsel will have the opportunity to fill key vacancies once on board,” Glenn wrote.