CC 02-19-2025 Item No. 12 Appointment of an Interim City Attorney_Written CommunicationsCC 02-19-2025
Item No. 12
Appointment of an
Interim City Attorney
Written Communications
From:Jean Bedord
To:City Council; City Clerk; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; City Attorney"s Office
Subject:Agenda Item #12. Appointment of Floy Andrews as City Attorney, Council, Feb 19, 2025
Date:Tuesday, February 18, 2025 1:55:54 PM
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Please include this in Written Communications for this meeting
Honorable Liang Chao, Vice-Mayor Kitty Moore, and council members,
I urge you to reject this contract with Aleshire & Wynder. This law firm was previously
engaged by the city in 2021 and invoiced the city over $400,000 for legal work.
https://cityofcupertinoca.nextrequest.com/requests/22-80 Their representation of the city with
regard to Vallco was a major factor in the poor reputation that Cupertino developed with
state HCD, and contributed to the delay in approval of the Housing Element. Such a
reputation carries over into current relationships with HCD, which will be challenging given
Cupertino's poor progress in meeting its Housing Element responsibilities.
Approval of this contract is fiscally irresponsible. In FY 2021-22, the city attorney budget
was $1,400,710 from the General Fund. Thanks to due diligence of Chris Jensen, our city
attorney, that was reduced to $1,139,685 from the General Fund in the FY2024-25 budget.
Based on past performance, engagement of Aleshire & Wynder is likely to significantly
increase legal costs for our city at a time when money is tight.
Council has better options. Please choose a different law firm.
Regards,
Jean Bedord, concerned Cupertino resident (and voter)