The Del Mar City Council will vote Nov. 3 on whether to issue a request for proposal for city attorney services.
In Del Mar, as in most smaller cities, the city attorney is appointed by the City Council, as opposed to larger cities such as San Diego, where the city attorney is elected by residents.
Leslie Devaney is currently the city attorney. According to a council agenda report, “it is prudent that the City periodically go out to market for these services to ensure the City continues to receive high quality services at a competitive cost,” meaning the city is not necessarily looking to make a change.
The city’s legal budget for 2025-26 is $316,000.
“The City Council and City administration expect the City Attorney to be service-oriented, actively involved in the business of the City, creative in finding solutions and pro-active in helping City officials and staff avoid legal pitfalls,” according to the agenda report.
The report says candidates will have to have expertise in topics including land use, affordable housing, zoning and elections.
If the council decides to move forward with the request for proposal, then there is a tentative timeline that would begin Nov. 7. Proposals from respondents would be due by Dec. 5, and the process would conclude with interviews by the City Council in January and approval of an agreement by the council in February.