Candidate for
City Attorney; City of Huntington Beach

After twenty-four years in office, City Attorney Gail Hutton is retiring. There will be change in the City Attorney's Office and as a voter, you must ask yourself # What Kind of City Attorney should be elected? I'm Jennifer McGrath, Candidate for Huntington Beach City Attorney. I believe I am the best suited of all the candidates to replace Gail Hutton. Why? Because I have the integrity, the experience, and the ability to solve problems that the job requires.

I am the only candidate that can implement immediate, positive change based on experience and relationships. Having worked as a Deputy City Attorney in Huntington Beach, I am the only candidate with hands-on municipal law experience. I have drafted contracts, prosecuted criminals, advised Council and staff, filed and defended civil lawsuits, and helped this community. I have worked extensively with City Council, every department in City Hall, and members of the community. I am endorsed by the Huntington Beach Police Officers Association, Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva, Councilmember and former Mayor Peter Green, and the current City Attorney Gail Hutton. I don't need to learn the job, I know the job. With my experience and relationships, I can be an effective City Attorney from the 1st day I take office.

As the City Attorney, I can and will protect this community through competent and experienced legal advice. Competent and experienced legal advice avoids costly lawsuits and allows taxpayer funds to be used for Public Safety and infrastructure concerns where it is needed most. Frivolous and inexperienced legal advice wastes the taxpayer's money in costly lawsuits and verdicts. As there are four new councilmembers to be elected, an experienced City Attorney will be critical.

Let me share some of my ideas about change in the City Attorney's Office.

Budget constraints require a more creative approach to the current workload of the City Attorney's Office. We need to streamline the office to do a better job of utilizing technology. This will reduce the time our attorneys spend on routine matters and increase the time spent on serious issues and litigation. Certain specialized matters will always require outside counsel, but through streamlining the routine matters, the City Attorney's Office can handle more cases in-house. I have already taken steps as a Deputy City Attorney to streamline the contract process in the office. Over the past two years, I have worked with other city staff to create sample contracts for use by the departments. This has cut down on delays in processing and the amount of time an attorney spends filling out paperwork. If elected, I will continue to implement creative processes to streamline the bureaucracy and allow the in-house attorneys to demonstrate their excellence in defending Huntington Beach.

Another area I want to improve is the teamwork and cooperation between the City Attorney's Office, City Council, city staff and the public. Certain decisions made by City Council have exposed the City to costly lawsuits. To be more effective in avoiding these lawsuits, the City Attorney's Office must work in a cooperative relationship with the city departments earlier in the process and be more decisive. If elected, I will give the City Attorney's Office the best chance for success in every lawsuit and reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits filed.

My record demonstrates my commitment to this community. If elected, I can protect our quality of life and property values. As a Deputy City Attorney, I have dedicated much of my time to working with Code Enforcement, the Fire Department, and the Police Department. I currently draft, defend, and prosecute City laws that have a direct impact on your daily lives. In 1997, I led the successful prosecution effort of the Huntington Harbor packrat case. Through the combined efforts of the various City departments, we were able to restore the piece of mind and quality of life to that neighborhood which had suffered for over ten years. Since 1997, the various departments have formalized our teamwork approach as the Public Nuisance Task Force which I have advised since its inception. I have worked extensively with both the Public Works and Planning Departments and I am currently appointed to serve as Legal Counsel to the Planning Commission. I have worn the many hats a City Attorney must wear to be effective.

It is critical to me that Huntington Beach be a safe community. I was raised in Huntington Beach and now my husband and I are raising our children here. After attending Edison High School and U.C.L.A., I graduated from McGeorge School of Law in the top 5% of my class and came home to work for the City of Huntington Beach.

It has been an honor to serve this community as a Deputy City Attorney and I am committed to continuing to serve this community! My integrity, experience and ability to solve problems make me the best choice for the next City Attorney. Please vote for Jennifer McGrath on November 5th ! Thank you.