A Message from City Attorney Jan Goldsmith

It is my honor to have been elected in November to serve as San Diego City Attorney. I will work hard to be effective and never forget that I am accountable to the people of San Diego .

As I begin my work, our office has about 145 lawyers and 300 employees. During the past four years of turmoil, 125 experienced lawyers left the office. The office has been operating without a non-lawyer office manager; it is already over budget by $1.8 million; and the office has been run more as a political operation than a law firm. The City has been harmed by withdrawal of legal advice as City staff has often had to guess or call friends for guidance.

Those days are over. We are rebuilding a law firm. I have been meeting with all of our staff one by one individually. Fortunately, there are many fine and dedicated public servants in the office who want to provide legal help to the City if given the opportunity. They will now be called upon to be professionals. Read more...