City Attorney of San Diego | |
---|---|
Term length | Four years, renewable once |
Inaugural holder | Thomas W. Sutherland |
Formation | 1850 |
Salary | $193,648 annually |
Website | Office of the City Attorney |
The San Diego City Attorney is an elected official in San Diego, California. The City Attorney serves as the city government's lawyer and as a criminal prosecutor for misdemeanor violations and infractions. The city attorney is elected for four years, and may serve up to two terms. [1] The current city attorney is Mara Elliott. [2] Predecessors include Jan Goldsmith (2008-2016), Mike Aguirre (2004-2008), Casey Gwinn (1996-2004), and John W. Witt (1969-1996). [3] [4] Ms. Elliott is the first woman, and first Latina, to serve as City Attorney for San Diego, California. [5]
The San Diego City Attorney's Office has four divisions.
The following list shows San Diego City Attorneys since the incorporation of the City of San Diego. [7] [8] [9] From 1852 until 1888 the City government was dissolved due to a bankruptcy and there was no official city attorney. [10]
City Attorney | Term start | Term end |
---|---|---|
Thomas W. Sutherland | 1850 | 1851 |
James W. Robinson | 1852 | 1852 |
Harry L. Titus | 1888 | 1888 |
James P. Goodwin | 1889 | 1890 |
William H. Fuller | 1891 | 1894 |
Herbert E. Doolittle | 1895 | 1904 |
William R. Andrews | 1905 | 1906 |
George Puterbaugh | 1907 | 1909 |
William R. Andrews | 1910 | 1913 |
Terence B. Cosgrove | 1914 | 1919 |
Shelley J. Higgins | 1919 | 1927 |
James O'Keefe | 1927 | 1928 |
Marvin W. Conkling | 1928 | 1931 |
Frank H. Heskett | 1931 | 1931 |
Clinton L. Byers | 1931 | 1936 |
Dayton L. Ault | 1937 | 1941 |
Jacob Weinberger | 1941 | 1941 |
Dayton L. Ault | 1941 | 1942 |
Clarence J. Novotny | 1943 | 1943 |
Jean F. Du Paul | 1943 | 1961 |
Alan M. Firestone | 1961 | 1963 |
Richard J. Curran | 1963 | 1965 |
Ed Butler | 1965 | 1969 |
John W. Witt | 1969 | 1996 |
Casey Gwinn | 1996 | 2004 |
Mike Aguirre | 2004 | 2008 |
Jan Goldsmith | 2008 | 2016 |
Mara Elliott | 2016 | Incumbent |
San Diego is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is also the eighth most populous city in the United States and the seat of San Diego County, the fifth most populous county in the United States, with 3,338,330 estimated residents as of 2019. The city is known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches and parks, long association with the U.S. armed forces, and recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center. San Diego is the second largest city in the state of California after Los Angeles.
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney,commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a local government area, typically a county or a group of counties. The exact name and scope of the office varies by state. Alternative titles for the office include county attorney, solicitor, or county prosecutor.
San Ysidro is a district of the City of San Diego, immediately north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley to the west; together these communities form South San Diego, a practical exclave of the City of San Diego. Major thoroughfares include Beyer Boulevard and San Ysidro Boulevard.
Mira Mesa is a community and neighborhood in the city of San Diego, California. The city-recognized Mira Mesa Community Plan Area is roughly bounded by Interstate 15 on the east, Interstate 805 on the west, the Los Peñasquitos Canyon on the north and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on the south. Most of the community plan area is referred to as Mira Mesa; the community plan area also includes the neighborhoods of Sorrento Valley and Sorrento Mesa.
The University of San Diego School of Law, commonly referred to as USD Law, is a law school located on the 182-acre (0.74 km2) campus of the University of San Diego in San Diego, California in the community of Linda Vista. Founded in 1954, the law school has held ABA approval since 1961. It joined the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) in 1966.
The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of San Diego, California. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council uses a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts as the executive. There are currently nine members of the council. City council members serve a four-year term and are limited to two successive terms.
The San Diego County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for San Diego County, California. This office is responsible for the prosecution of both felony and misdemeanor violations of California state law that occur within the jurisdiction of San Diego County, California. Courts within their jurisdiction includes the San Diego Superior Court, the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District, and the California Supreme Court. Federal law violations are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. The current District Attorney is Summer Stephan, who replaced Bonnie Dumanis on an interim basis after the latter resigned in July 2017.
The Government of San Diego County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law, and the Charter of the County of San Diego. Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of San Diego County. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.
The flag of San Diego consists of three vertical bands; colored from left to right; dark red, white and gold. The central white band carries the city seal, which carries the words: "The City of San Diego · State of California · Semper Vigilans." The last of those three phrases is the city's official motto, Latin for "ever vigilant." Under the seal is the number 1542, the year in which Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo first entered San Diego Bay and claimed the area for the Spanish Empire. The red and gold bands come from the colors of Spain's flag. The flag was adopted on October 16, 1934 by the City Council, after Albert V. Mayrhofer submitted a sample banner on behalf of the California Historical Association, the Native Sons of the Golden West, Native Daughters of the Golden West, and The San Diegans.
The San Diego County Public Defender's office is an agency of the government of San Diego County, California. It provides legal assistance to individuals charged with a crime in state court who are financially unable to retain private counsel. The office consists of the Primary Public Defender, the Alternate Public Defender, the Office of Assigned Counsel & the Multiple Conflicts Office. Mental health and juvenile court matters are handled by special units within the divisions.
Barbara Bry is an American businesswoman and politician in San Diego, California. She served as a member of the San Diego City Council representing City Council District 1 from 2016 to 2020 and was a candidate for mayor of San Diego in the 2020 election. The district includes the communities of Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, La Jolla, Torrey Hills, Torrey Pines, University City, and the University of California, San Diego campus. Bry served as President Pro Tem of the City Council from 2017 to 2020. She is a Democrat, although city offices are officially nonpartisan.
Mara Woodworth Elliott is an American elected official in San Diego, California who serves as the San Diego City Attorney. Elliott is the first woman, and first Latina, to serve as City Attorney in San Diego's history.
The 2016 San Diego City Attorney election occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The primary election was held on Tuesday, June 7, 2016.
Casey Gwinn is an American attorney who served as the elected City Attorney of San Diego, California, from 1996 through 2004. He is credited as a pioneer of the Family Justice Center concept, under which multiple agencies work together under one roof to provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
The 2008 San Diego City Attorney election occurred on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The primary election was held on Tuesday, June 3, 2008.
The 2004 San Diego City Attorney election occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The primary election was held on Tuesday, June 2, 2004.
Geneviéve LaChelle Jones-Wright is a San Diego, California native who served San Diego County as a public defender from 2006 to 2019. Jones-Wright co-founded and serves as the Executive Director of an impact litigation non-profit, Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance www.moralgovernance.org, also known as MoGo. MoGo works to achieve racial and social justice and holds government accountable to all people, especially those who are marginalized. Jones-Wright ran to become the District Attorney of San Diego in the June 5, 2018 primary election against interim District Attorney Summer Stephan after the position was vacated by Bonnie Dumanis in July 2017. Jones-Wright lost the primary 62.62% to 37.02%. She is a Democrat who is considered a progressive reformist, though the District Attorney position is non-partisan.
The 2020 San Diego mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020 to elect the Mayor of San Diego. Incumbent Kevin Faulconer was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits.
The 2012 San Diego City Attorney election occurred on Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Incumbent city attorney Jan Goldsmith ran unopposed and was reelected.
The 2020 San Diego City Attorney election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The primary election was held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.