City Attorney Office
Fiscal Year End 2024-25
LONG TERM FINANCIAL POLICY
AUDIT SUBCOMMITTEE
JANUARY 29, 2026
TERESA STRICKER, CITY ATTORNEY
SCOTT WAGNER, CHIEF FINANCIAL
OFFICER
City Attorney’s Office (CAO)
2 By City Charter, the City Attorney is appointed by the City Council to serve as the chief legal advisor for the City of Santa Rosa.
The City Attorney's Office (CAO):
• is a central service department
• represents the City in legal proceedings
• provides comprehensive legal advice and support to:
• Council
• Boards and Commissions
• Departments and City staff
• Housing Authority
• Public Financing Authority
3 CAO FY 2024-25 Spending
Category 2024-25
Budget
2024-25
Actuals
(Over) Under
Budget
Salaries & Benefits 3,645,454 3,353,343 292,111
Services &
Supplies 1,405,684 1,325,718 79,966
Total $5,051,138 $4,679,061 $372,077
Salaries & Benefits
Service & Supplies
CAO Actual vs. Budget - At a Glance
(Four Year Lookback)
4 FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25
Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual 3,621,162.30 3,723,526.66 4,647,899.45 4,679,061.50 Budget 3,868,003.00 3,910,893.31 4,463,701.58 5,051,138.47 Budget Year
(Over)/Under $ 246,840.70 $ 187,366.65 $ (184,197.87) $ 372,076.97 5 CAO FY 2024-25 Services & Supplies
Expenditure 2024-25 Actuals
Professional Services * $754,239
IT Cost 100,612
Subscriptions 30,825
Operational Supplies, Dues, Meetings 23,331
Other Outside Services 12,975
PC Replacement & Software 12,494
Conferences and Training 12,054
Copier Services 6,237
Total $952,767
* Professional Service Expense Detail Provided in Future Slides (discretionary amount plus special project carryover). 6 CAO FY 2024-25 Professional Services
Expenditure 2024-25 Actuals
Vannucci Litigation 232,994
Airport Business Center (Garage 5) Litigation 110,610
Real Estate Legal Services 182,482
Public Works/CIP 127,288
As needed General Municipal Advice including Planning 22,330 Housing Authority 15,086
Various legal services, training 21,435
Recruiter services for Two Attorneys 33,600
Temporary help due to vacant legal secretary position 8,414 Total $754,239
7 CAO FY 2025-26 FTE Count
* Two Assistant City Attorney positions are currently underfilled at the less senior Deputy City Attorney Level.
Job Title Sum of FTE
City Attorney 1.0
Chief Assistant City Attorney 1.0
Assistant City Attorney * 7.0
Law Office Supervisor 1.0
Paralegal 2.0
Legal Secretary 2.0
Administrative Secretary 1.0
Total 15.0
CAO Budget - Staffing & Salary
(Five Year Lookback)
8 FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 FY 2025-26 Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Actual vs. Budget Staffing 15.9 FTE 15.9 FTE 15.9 FTE 15.9 FTE 15 FTE
Salaries
Base Budget $ 2,200,828 $ 2,261,266 $ 2,335,668 $ 2,518,884 N/A Actuals 2,221,428 2,295,641 2,036,300 2,210,532 N/A
Benefits
Base Budget 1,157,185 1,145,674 1,257,135 1,332,461 N/A Actuals $ 1,100,365 $ 1,166,273 $ 1,052,580 $ 1,142,811 N/A Vacancies • ACA Apr 22-Jun 22
• ACA Mar 22-Jun 22
• Chief ACA Jan 23-Jun 23 • CA Aug 23-Oct 23
• Chief ACA Jul 23-June 24
• ACA Aug 23-Jun 24
• Chief ACA July 24-Sept 24;
Mar 25-Jun 25
• ACA Sep 24-Jan 25
• ACA Jun 24-Feb 25
• ACA Jul 24-Sep 24
• Legal Secy Aug 24-Oct 24
• Legal Secy Retired (Not
Filled) Sep 24-June 25
• Paralegal Aug 25-Oct 25
CAO General Fund Revenue
9 Revenue FY 2024-25 Actuals
Cost Allocation Plan Recovery from CAO
City Attorney Services Cost Recovered $966,277
Recent CAO Budget Reductions &
Savings
Reductions in FY 2025-26 Budget to meet an overall budget reduction of approximately $321,000
❑ Reduction of 1.0 FTE Vacant Legal Secretary
❑ Annual Budgeted Professional Services were reduced by roughly 65% ($175,550) from $271,000 to $85,519
❑ Increases in IT cost recovery share and rising costs in categories such as bar dues, office supplies, resulted in reductions across other categories in service and supplies including Conferences & Trainings. 10 CAO
Organization
Chart
11 CAO: Operational Highlights
Legislative Function
▪ Review agendas, staff reports and
other items.
▪ Advise during meetings of the City
Council, Planning Commission,
Housing Authority, Board of Public
Utilities and other Brown Act bodies.
12 CAO Primary Board & Commission
Assignments:
The Big Four: 2,250 Estimated Attorney Hours 2025
13 Board/Commission Attorney
City Council Teresa Stricker
City Attorney
Board of Public Utilities David Hobstetter
Assistant City Attorney
Planning Commission Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Housing Authority Autumn Luna
Chief Assistant City Attorney
CAO Primary Board & Commission
Assignments
Other Brown Act Bodies: 250 Estimated Attorney Hours 2025 14 Board/Commission Attorney Board/Commission Attorney
Art in Public Places Committee Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Tourism Business Improvement Area
Advisory Board
Hannah Ford-Stille
Deputy City Attorney
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Board
Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Waterways Advisory Committee Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Board of Building Regulation Appeals Varies Zoning Administrator Ashle Crocker Assistant City Attorney
Board of Parks & Recreation Hannah Ford-Stille
Deputy City Attorney
City Council/ BPU Liaison Subcommittee David Hobstetter Assistant City Attorney
Community Advisory Board Autumn Luna, Chief Assistant CA Kelly Leonhardt, Deputy CA
Climate Action Subcommittee Hannah Ford-Stille
Deputy City Attorney
Design Review and Preservation
Board
Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Economic Development Subcommittee Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Personnel Board (subject to due
process wall)
(outside counsel) Long Term Financial Policy and Audit
Subcommittee
Teresa Stricker
City Attorney
Public Finance Authority Teresa Stricker
City Attorney
OGTF Implementation Subcommittee Autumn Luna
Chief Assistant City Attorney
Public Safety and Prevention Tax
COC
Jenica Hepler
Assistant City Attorney
Public Safety Subcommittee Jenica Hepler
Assistant City Attorney
Subdivision Committee Ashle Crocker
Assistant City Attorney
Violence Prevention Partnership
Subcommittee
Jenica Hepler
Assistant City Attorney
CAO: Operational Highlights
Advisory/Transactional Function
▪ Regularly advise departments on all areas of
general municipal law
▪ Draft/review ordinances, resolutions, policies
and procedures.
▪ Review – and at times negotiate and draft – all
contracts citywide and other legal instruments.
▪ Provide risk analysis and options to minimize
legal risk.
▪ Provide trainings to City staff and officials.
15 CAO Primary Assignments (Advice) –
by Department
16 CMO
Teresa Stricker,
City Attorney
CIRO
Teresa Stricker,
City Attorney
Autumn Luna,
Chief Asst City Attorney
FIN
Teresa Stricker,
City Attorney
FIRE
Adam Abel,
Assistant City Attorney
HCS
Autumn Luna,
Chief Asst City Attorney
HR
Jenica Hepler,
Assistant City Attorney
IT
Hannah Ford-Stille,
Deputy City Attorney
PED
Ashle Crocker,
Assistant City Attorney
POLICE
Jenica Hepler,
Assistant City Attorney
TPW
David Hobstetter,
Assistant City Attorney
Hannah Ford-Stille,
Deputy City Attorney
WATER
David Hobstetter,
Assistant City Attorney
CAO Primary Assignments (Advice) –
by Division
17 CITY CLERK
Teresa Stricker,
City Attorney
REAL ESTATE
Autumn Luna,
Chief Asst City Attorney
PURCHASING/CONTRACTS
Hannah Ford-Stille,
Assistant City Attorney
PARKING
Hannah Ford-Stille,
Assistant City Attorney
RECREATION
Hannah Ford-Stille,
Assistant City Attorney
PARKS
Hannah Ford-Stille,
Assistant City Attorney
CAO: Operational Highlights
18 Litigation Function
▪ Represent the City in civil litigation, administrative hearings, Pitchess motions and in connection with
third-party subpoenas.
▪ Prosecute code enforcement matters, weapons
confiscation petitions, gun violence restraining
orders, dangerous animal petitions, as well as
environmental and HazMat violations.
▪ Advise code enforcement staff during
administrative proceedings.
CAO Primary Assignments
(Litigation)
19 CLAIMS & CIVIL LITIGATION
❑ FEDERAL – USDC
❑ STATE SUPERIOR COURT
❑ FEDERAL AND STATE APELLATE COURTS
❑ PITCHESS MOTIONS
❑ THIRD PARTY SUBPOENAS
OTHER MATTERS
❑ DRUG ABATEMENT
❑ RECEIVERSHIPS
❑ WEAPONS CONFISCATION
❑ GUN VIOLENCE RESTRAINING ORDERS
❑ DANGEROUS ANIMAL
❑ ENVIRONMENTAL & HAZMAT
❑ ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS
CAO LITIGATION TEAM
Adam Abel, Assistant City Attorney
Nate Putney, Assistant City Attorney
Kelly Leonhardt, Deputy City Attorney
Litigation Case Load by Fiscal Year
FY 21-22 FY 22-23 FY 23-24 FY 24-25 FY 25-26*
New Litigation Matters 17 23 23 13 9*
Claims Assigned to the CAO 26 26 36 46 25*
Short Cause/Miscellaneous
• Pitchess motions
• Weapons
• Animal petitions
24 33
Averages 15
21 16
Averages 15
24 24
Averages 15
28 24
Averages 15
24*
14*
12*
20 * Numbers reflect matters in the first half of the Fiscal Year Litigation Disposition by Fiscal Year
FY 21-22 FY 22-23 FY 23-24 FY 24-25 FY 25-26*
Litigation Matters Dismissed
or Adjudicated – No Money
Paid by the City
11 17 12 7 6
Litigation Matters Settled
$50k or Less
4 7 2 6 2
Litigation Matters Settled
More than $50k
4 3 3 2 4
21 * FY To Date
Outside Counsel
The City Attorney’s Office may retain outside counsel
when City initiatives or certain matters require:
▪ specialized legal expertise
▪ additional resources
▪ independent perspective.
Can be a cost-effective solution for handling temporary workload spikes, vacancies or high-stake cases.
The City Attorney’s Office also manages all contracts with outside counsel utilized by other departments.
22 CAO Budget – Outside Counsel
(5320 – Professional Services)
23 FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 * FY 2024-25 * FY 2025-26 ** CAO Base Budget 271,000 271,000 271,000 271,000 85,519
Carryover & Council
Appropriations 5,000 5,603 425,445 931,300 372,952
Actual Spending 113,275 68,108 1,118,519 754,239 182,573 Less Encumbrance 5,603 445 258,872 372,952 215,159
(Over)/Under Budget 157,122 208,050 (680,946) 75,109 60,739 *City Council Approved Mid-Year Appropriations
**FY 2025-26 is through 01/20/2026
CAO’s Professional Services Budget was reduced
to $85,519 in FY 2025-26 from $271,000 over
the previous four fiscal years due to budget cuts.
Current Strategies
Continuing to modernize operations to improve service delivery with existing resources.
Changes implemented or being implemented:
▪ Brought in house day-to-day real estate and personnel legal work. Reduces professional services in CAO and HR.
▪ Strategic assignments of litigation matters.
▪ Moving nonlegal work done for years in CAO out of CAO and back to the departments. ▪ Improved efficiency in both CAO and departments; creates more bandwidth for legal work.
▪ Eg, Insurance compliance checks and Parking Hearing Officer services. 24 Current Strategies (cont’d)
▪ Worked with CMO/Clerk’s office to streamline agenda process and eliminate unnecessary resolutions. Creates efficiency in all departments. ▪ Collaborating with CMO/Clerk/Mayor on number of Brown Act bodies and any room for adjustments.
▪ Strategic use of training resources to decrease reliance on outside counsel. ▪ Cross training to enhance internal expertise, promote professional development and enhance retention/morale.
25 Next Steps
▪ Implement software solutions to improve efficiency.
▪ Eliminate unnecessary or archaic processes.
▪ Continue to align CAO resources with organizational priorities. ▪ Onboard Center for Organizational Effectiveness to undertake departmental assessment to recommend additional ways to achieve efficiency in processes, staffing and allocation of resources. ▪ Collaborate with CMO in budget formation process on strategic, targeted expenditures to promote efficiencies.
26 Questions?
27