TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Tracy M. Noonan, City Attorney
DATE:June 23, 2026
SUBJECT: Legal Research Service Contract
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve Service Agreement with West Publishing Corporation (Egan, MN), dba West, a Thomson Reuters business (West), for subscription services to the West’s legal research database for the City Attorney’s Office, in an amount not-to-exceed $196,000, for the period of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031.
2. Approve budget appropriation for FY 2026-27 in the amount of $8,800 from A/C #001-0000-311-1000 (General Fund - Fund Balance) to A/C #001-1610-611-6210 (General Fund - Software License).
3. Approve expenditure for FY 2026-27 in the amount of $34,740 from A/C #001- 1610-611-6210 (General Fund - Software License).
4. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: Yes
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
$8,800 Increase to the Adopted FY 2026-27 General Fund Budget. An $8,800 increase to the Adopted FY 2026-27 General Fund Budget is requested for subscription services to the West’s legal research database. Budget for the remaining contract term will be requested during the upcoming biennial budget process.
Legal Research Service Contract
June 23, 2026
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BACKGROUND:
The City Attorney’s Office (CAO) has five full-time attorneys and two support staff.
The office provides full legal services to all City departments, including civil litigation and code enforcement. Attorneys and staff use legal databases every day for a variety of legal research tasks, including review of statutes, cases, regulations, and secondary legal resources. West’s legal research platform, Westlaw, provides an electronic legal library that encompasses hundreds of thousands of statutes, cases, and other legal publications. The online service is an integral part of the office’s legal library and vital to the attorneys’ day-to-day operations. The current Westlaw agreement expires on June 30, 2026.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
West has been and remains one of the legal research database leaders in the industry. CAO last completed a Request for Proposals in 2021 and received only 2 bids: West and Lexis Nexis. West’s proposal had a more comprehensive product and more competitive pricing. West has been the provider to CAO for more than 20 years and remains the superior research platform. Section 3-10.107 of the Thousand Oaks Municipal Code allows for an exception to the competitive bidding process for software subscriptions.
Another important factor for the decision to remain with West is that CAO currently uses and/or subscribes to several hardbound and electronic legal treatises published by West Publishing under Thomas Reuters. The cost for such books are significantly discounted due to the City’s online subscription service with West.
West also has unique online services, including research tools such as “Company Investigator,” “Keycite Overruling Risks,” and “Legislative Highlights.” Therefore, staff recommend approval of a new five-year agreement with West (Attachment #1).
LEVINE ACT (California Government Code § 84308):
This item is subject to the Levine Act (Attachment #2). City Councilmembers who have received a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) within the preceding 12 months from a party or their agent/representative, or a financially- interested participant involved in this proceeding may do either of the following: (1) disclose the contribution on the record and recuse themselves from this proceeding; or if applicable (2) return the portion of the contribution that exceeds $500 within 30 days from the time the official knew or should have known about the contribution, and participate in the proceeding.
Legal Research Service Contract
June 23, 2026
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All parties and their agents/representatives must disclose on the record of this proceeding any aggregated contribution of more than $500 made to any Councilmember within the preceding 12 months. Councilmembers are prohibited from accepting, soliciting, or directing a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) from a party, their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made. In addition, a party, their agent/representative, or a financially- interested participant is prohibited from contributing more than $500 (aggregated) to a Councilmember during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goal:
B. Provide municipal government leadership which is open and responsive to residents, and is characterized by ethical behavior, stability, promoting public trust, transparency, confidence in the future, and cooperative interaction among civic leaders, residents, business representatives, and staff, while recognizing and respecting legitimate differences of opinion on critical issues facing the City
PREPARED BY: Melissa Popham, Legal Office Assistant
Attachment:
Attachment #1 – West Order Form/Agreement
Attachment #2 – Levine Act Form
CAO:650-90\mp\LegalFiles\WestLawContracts\StaffReport\Legal Services Contract.docx