New Code Enforcement Unit & other changes in the City Attorney's Office
Over the last few months we have reorganized to focus on three important areas:
1. Public Safety and Code Enforcement.
We are in a public safety crisis in Oakland. As City Attorney I have expanded our Public Safety Unit to work with the police and the City Council on crime reduction strategies. We've also launched a new Code Enforcement Unit to deal with serious neighborhood problems like blight, problem liquor stores, prostitution and other nuisances that too often lead to more serious crime and violence in our community.
2. Protecting Taxpayer Resources.
It's our job to represent the interests of Oakland residents and businesses at City Hall, and that includes carefully protecting their tax dollars. In recent years, the City Council has cut nearly 40% of our staff, but the demand for legal services has only increased. As a result, bills for expensive outside attorneys have gone through the roof. One of my first actions as City Attorney was to review all outside counsel contracts, and to reduce or eliminate those expenses as much as possible by handling cases in-house.
3. Service to Our Clients & the Community.
One of my goals for reorganizing the office was to step up our service to our clients within City Hall, and to be a stronger advocate for those in the community who use and rely on City services. To that end, I have asked attorneys to broaden their practices and take on more responsibilities. We've also made some structural changes to become more flexible and better able to meet our own high standards for the service we provide.
While reorganizing the office, we have continued to aggressively represent the City in court. This month, we won an important legal battle in the fight against prostitution and exploitation of minors in Oakland.
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