September 15, 2026
City Attorney's Office
Human Resources
DATE: September 15, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shannon Moore, Interim City Attorney
Sharrone Taylor, Director of Human Resources
Subject:
Legal Services Agreement Amendment No. 1 with Chiari
Law for Confidential Personnel Investigations
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed $40,000 increase to the legal services agreement is included within the approved Fiscal Year
2026-2027 Human Resources and Risk Management
budgets (Account String: 01181016-400206;
50182316-400206). As the services are billed at an
hourly rate, the total cost may be lower than the
not-to-exceed amount.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City Council’s approval is needed to approve legal
services agreements for employment attorneys to
conduct confidential personnel investigations.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a first amendment to the legal services
agreement with Chiari Law, PC, to conduct confidential
personnel investigations, increasing the payment limit by $40,000, for a total amount not to exceed $49,999, with a term expiration of June 30, 2027 – City Attorney’s
Office/Human Resources Department (Sharrone Taylor
510-620-6803/Shannon Moore 510-620-6509).
AGENDA
REPORT
September 15, 2026
DISCUSSION:
The City is responsible for addressing complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation by promptly conducting thorough and unbiased personnel investigations.
Additionally, the City investigates other workplace issues, including employee complaints, when necessary. When an external personnel investigation is required, the City enlists the services of specialized firms which have highly skilled employment law attorneys to conduct personnel investigations, such as Chiari Law, PC.
The City Attorney’s Office and Human Resources Department executed a legal services agreement with Chiari Law, PC in August 2026 to initiate a workplace investigation.
Chiari Law, PC is a boutique law firm that specializes in independent workplace investigations for public and private sector clients. Attorney Investigator Stephen Chiari has previously conducted investigations for the City and has proven satisfactory in their service.
The hourly rates are:
Stephen Chiari: $385/hour
Other Attorneys: $200-$315/hour
Paralegals: $165/hour
The City Attorney's Office and the Human Resources Department are requesting approval of a first amendment to the legal services agreement with Chiari Law, PC to increase the payment limit by $40,000 for total not to exceed amount of $49,999, with a term end date of June 30, 2027.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Original Legal Services Agreement (LSA) with Chiari Law, PC Attachment 2 – First Amendment to the LSA with Chiari Law, PC