June 24, 2025
Mayor's Office
DATE: June 24, 2025
TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor Eduardo Martinez
Councilmember Claudia Jimenez
Councilmember Doria Robinson
Subject: Appropriation of funds and Restated Contract Services Agreement for City Attorney Services with Aleshire &
Wynder, LLP (A&W)
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The A&W Restated Contract Services Agreement for City Attorney Services costs approximately $400,000 per
quarter, for a total contract of $800,000, and is funded from account string 01151014-400206.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 19, 2022
December 17, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Ad Hoc Committee to the City Attorney evaluation
seeks approval of a Restated Contract Services
Agreement for City Attorney Services with Aleshire &
Wynder, LLP for Fiscal Year 25-26. The A&W legal
services agreement is also used to pay legal services
agreements from Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth
& Wynder (attorney Dennis La, contract not to exceed
$375,000) and Fox, Bertrand, Elliot, Osman & Wenzel
(attorney John Salcedo, contract not to exceed
$300,000), who currently handle the Pt.
Molate/Winehaven litigation and related matters.
Approval of an appropriation from the General Fund in
the amount of $400,000 for an amount not to exceed
$1,479,626.48 for the Fiscal Year 24-25 is required.
AGENDA
REPORT
June 24, 2025
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a Restated Contract Services Agreement for
City Attorney Services with Aleshire & Wynder, LLP for
Fiscal Year 25-26 costing approximately $400,000 per
quarter for a total contract amount not to exceed
$800,000 and APPROPRIATE $400,000 from the
General Fund for Fiscal Year 24-25 for a total annual
contract for Fiscal Year 24-25 not to exceed
$1,479,626.48 – Mayor’s Office (Mayor Eduardo Martinez
510-620-6503)/Councilmember Claudia Jimenez(510-
620-6565)/(Councilmember Doria Robinson (510-620-
6568).
DISCUSSION:
Aleshire & Wynder, LLP (A&W), and its partner, David J. Aleshire, currently provide City Attorney services for the City of Richmond. David Aleshire was appointed interim City Attorney on December 21, 2021, and appointed as the City Attorney by the City Council on July 19, 2022.
On December 17, 2024, the City Council approved an appropriation and first amendment for $154,626.48 from the General Fund. These funds were used to cover a shortfall due to an administrative error where funds from the City Attorney Department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024 budget were used to pay invoices for services rendered in FY 2022-2023. For FY 2022-2023, Aleshire & Wynder exceeded the $1.6 million contract amount and funds from the City Attorney Department’s FY 2023-2024 budget were used to pay the amount that the firm exceeded in FY 2022-2023.
Furthermore, the A&W legal services agreement is also used to pay legal services agreements from Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner (attorney Dennis La, contract not to exceed $375,000) and Fox, Bertrand, Elliot, Osman & Wenzel (attorney John Salcedo, contract not to exceed $300,000), who currently handle the Pt.
Molate/Winehaven litigation and related matters. Mr. La and Mr. Salcedo are two former A&W attorneys.
The restated agreement clarifies, among other things, roles and responsibilities for day- to-day operations in the City Attorney’s Office, establishes a plan for providing monthly confidential attorney-client privileged reports to the City Council and removes the previous evergreen provision of the agreement. The agreement will now terminate December 31, 2025 unless the parties extend it or enter into a new agreement.
June 24, 2025
The Mayor and Council ad hoc requests:
1) Approval of a Restated Contract Services Agreement for City Attorney Services with Aleshire & Wynder, LLP for Fiscal Year 25-26 costing approximately $400,000 per quarter for a total contract amount not to exceed $800,000. 2) Appropriation of $400,000.00 from the General Fund for Fiscal Year 24-25 for a total annual contract for Fiscal Year 24-25 not to exceed $1,479,626.48.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 –Restated Contract Services Agreement for City Attorney Services (proposed)
Attachment 2 – Amendment 1 to Agreement for City Attorney Services between the City of Richmond and Aleshire & Wynder, LLP
Attachment 3 -- Original Contract Services Agreement for City Attorney Services with Aleshire & Wynder, LLP