CC 10-21-2025 Item No. 6 Ratifying Accounts Payable for periods ending September 26, 2025_Written CommunicationsCC 10-21-2025
Item #6
Ratifying Accounts
Payable for periods ending
September 12, 2025 and
September 26, 2025
Written Communications
From:Jean Bedord
To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; City Attorney"s Office; City Clerk
Subject:Agenda Item #6:Legal Services - Legal services, Accounts Payable, Oct. 21, 2025 City Council
Date:Tuesday, October 21, 2025 3:39:39 PM
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Please include in the public record for this meeting
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In reviewing the payment register for September, I am dismayed by the bills for legal services
provided by the contract city attorney, Floy Andrews of Aleshire & Wynder, both this month
and previous months. Here's the amounts:
*$ 22,858.50 February services paid in March - partial month after Chris Jensen left
*$ 74,775.60 March services paid in April
*$150,495.50 April services paid in July
*$113,650.20 May services paid in July
*$134,907.65 June services paid September (this month's payment register)
*???? July services
*???? August services
*???? September services
*$496,687.35 of known expenses for legal services slightly over 4 months of legal work.
This does not include the $20,000 for the private investigator hired to investigate the former
city manager (insufficient evidence). At this rate, the contract city attorney's firm will bill
over $1 million to the city of Cupertino for legal services.
Mayor Chao is responsible for signing off on these legal bills; she is also responsible for
scheduling meetings which the interim city attorney attends on billable time. Here are some of
the contributors to these excessive billings:
*Overly long council meetings
*Numerous closed sessions, even if the item is an just an update
*Special meetings, such as the Measure A endorsement letter
*Questionable legal advice, i.e. the jurisdictional authority over DeAnza College and their
purchase of the McClellan Terrace Apartments, and Builder's Remedy projects.
*Excessive redaction of PRAs (Public Record Action)
Council members should be provided with the Monthly Billing Summary on a more timely
basis than Accounts Payable. I urge Vice-Mayor Moore and other members of council to
more closely examine the cost of legal services by Aleshire & Wynder, providing feedback
to Mayor Chao on how these could be reduced.
Resident concerned about fiscal responsibility,
Jean