COUNTY COUNSEL'S OFFICE - M. GRANGER
Approve Hiring of Deputy County Counsel II, at Step D, and Deputy County Counsel II, at Step F.

SBC FILE NUMBER: 160

The County Counsel's Office has been recruiting for an Assistant County Counsel for over a year and a Deputy County Counsel for over two months.  The candidate pool for these two positions has been limited in the number of qualified candidates who have applied.  It has been determined to be in the best interests of the County to fill the vacant Deputy County Counsel, and then under-fill the Assistant County Counsel position with a second Deputy County Counsel, rather than waiting additional time for a qualified Assistant County Counsel to apply. 

Although a learning curve will be required, as both deputies are being brought on at the Deputy County Counsel II level, these two individuals are strong candidates, both of them being bright, dedicated and personable.  The candidates are brought before the Board of Supervisors today for approval to hire above the "C" step as further set forth below.

Candidate 1:

The first candidate is currently a Deputy County Counsel II at Tehama County Counsel's Office. This candidate has excellent references, including from her current supervisor, Arthur Wylene, Tehama County Counsel.  She has worked in the areas of code enforcement, litigation (TRO's, contested conservatorships, and bail bond motions), drafting ordinances, reviewing contracts, and responding to public records requests.  She has interest and experience in the area of land use, including appearing before the Planning Commission. She has been involved in 900+ code enforcement actions and 75+ cost recovery actions to enforce outstanding abatement costs and/or administrative penalties. The Candidate is a graduate of Golden Gate University Law school, and originally is from Cupertino California.  Step D is requested which would equate to a 7.5% increase in her current salary; this would help to cover the additional cost of living in this area.  

Candidate Two.

Candidate 2 is a Harvard law school graduate, where she was Editor of the Harvard Environmental Law Review. She is currently a 4th year Associate Attorney at a large law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area.   She has experience in negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements on behalf of well-known clients, as well as participating in motion and trial preparation in significant litigation matters.  Her litigation experience includes drafting dozens of motions to dismiss, motions to compel, motions in limine, and motions for summary judgment.  She also has deposition and arbitration experience.  She currently serves as the lead attorney responsible for litigation threat analysis and risk management for a household name Silicon Valley firm.  She currently earns $230,000 annually.  Therefore, bringing her on at Deputy County Counsel II, Step F, at an annual rate of $85,757.57, will result in an income just 37% of her current salary.  While she has strong ties to the local community and would like to relocate to this area, she has requested compensation reflecting her education and experience.

County finance and human resources have reviewed and approved this request.

Approve Hiring of Deputy County Counsel II, at Step D, and Deputy County Counsel II, at Step F.