The Measure provides that the City Attorney shall advise all boards, commissions and agencies of the City on legal matters referred to him or her. The City Council may waive the referral requirement and authorize, by resolution, any board, commission or agency to directly request services of the City Attorney. Otherwise, all boards, commissions and agencies of the City shall be required to request City Council authorization prior to referring matters to the City Attorney. In such cases, in order to request legal services, the board, commission or agency requesting such services shall present a written request to the City Council, which shall specify the particular matter or matters for which the board, commission or agency seeks services, a description of the requested scope of services, and any time constraints associated with said services. The City Council shall hear and act upon such request during a duly noticed regular or special City Council meeting, which may include a closed session as authorized by the Ralph M. Brown Act. If approved, the City Council shall forward the request to the City Attorney for action. The City Council may also, by resolution, delegate to the City Manager the authority to approve referrals from any board, commission or agency to the City Attorney.

The City Attorney may recommend to the City Council, at any time, that a board, commission or agency be represented by special legal counsel, when, in the sole discretion of the City Attorney, it is necessary in order to avoid a conflict of interest under state or local law. (Ord. 3147 § 1, 2009).