To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: MICHAEL W. WEBB, CITY ATTORNEY
MELANIE CHAVIRA, CITY PROSECUTOR
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APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH BRETT DAVISON FOR LEGAL SERVICES AS NEEDED FOR THE TERM OF OCTOBER 21, 2020 UNTIL TERMINATED
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City maintains a list of approved law firms and attorneys from which to select outside counsel when special expertise is required in legal matters. This contract will add Mr. Brett Davison to the City Attorney's approved law firm list to provide legal services for the prosecution side of the City Attorney's Office.
BACKGROUND
The prosecution side of the City Attorney's Office is temporarily under-staffed due to one prosecutor being out on medical leave from October 30, 2019, until approximately April 2021. Additionally, a second prosecutor is currently on an extended medical leave with no known return date. Mr. Davison is necessary to assist in covering the workload of these prosecutors. Due to these temporary vacancies, Joy Abaquin, the Quality of Life Prosecutor will be taking over the responsibilities of staffing the Redondo Beach Homeless Court. Mr. Davison will be needed to cover Ms. Abaquin's role in staffing the Mental Health Court located in Hollywood, as well as assisting in staffing our arraignment court and pre-trial court at Torrance Courthouse. Due to the COVID shutdown of the courthouse for a temporary period, a large backload of trials and new arraignments has resulted and the court has resumed full operations. There is currently $25,370 in the City Attorney's Office budget to cover this expense. Additionally, funds from the SBCCOG grant can be used to cover his appearances in Mental Health Court.
Mr. Davison is an experienced prosecutor practicing as a Deputy City Attorney for Pasadena for the past two years. He also has been practicing criminal law for approximately six years. Mr. Davison is willing to provide legal services to the prosecution side of the City Attorney's Offic...
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