It's irresponsible to spend taxpayer dollars on expensive, out-of-town attorneys when the City Attorney's Office already has a large staff of lawyers.

By John Russo

"I'll ensure that the City of Oakland receives the finest legal representation available while using our in-house attorneys as often as possible."

Currently, the City Attorney's Office hires highly specialized, outside legal counsel at a cost of up to $350 and hour to address these issues, which are not unusual to cities such as ours.

As City Attorney, I'll ensure that Oakland's legal interests are protected to the fullest extent possible while also using our taxpayer dollars efficiently.

I believe that the city needs a minimum of one "in-house counsel" who specializes in the areas specified above to work with the City Attorney on an ongoing basis. By better managing the office's resources and reducing waste, I can hire a specialist to join the the City Attorney's staff while saving taxpayers thousands on out-of-town lawyer's bills.

Under my plan, the City of Oakland's overall legal costs can be reduced.

Every dollar wasted by city bureaucrats on lawyers and lawsuits is a dollar we don't have libraries, parks, public safety and children's programs. As chair of the city's Finance Committee, I led the way in creating and passing Oakland's first balanced budget in a generation. As your City Attorney, I'll make sure that we have a well-managed office that spends your money widely and avoids costly lawsuits and outrageous legal bills. Our money should be spent on the needs of our people, not on lawyers and lawsuits.

As your City Attorney, I'll reform the office and use every tool at my disposal to help the citizens of Oakland. I'll work aggressively to reduce unnecessary costs so money is spent instead on programs that directly benefit Oakland's neighborhoods, young people and families. Please join me in bringing fiscally sound, capable leadership to the City Attorney's Office.