On Sept. 28 City Council bid farewell to Interim City Attorney George Cardona and welcomed back former three decade City lawyer Joseph Lawrence to take over the temporary position.
Lawrence began working for the City in 1986 and retired from his position as Assistant City Attorney in October 2017. He has twice served as Interim City Attorney and will be assuming the position for a third time with an hourly rate of $130.82, which is equivalent to a salary of $272,112.
The last time he served as Interim City Attorney was during the transition from City Attorney Marsha Moutrie to Lane Dilg in 2017. This time Lawrence will be holding the seat while the City completes its search for an attorney to replace Dilg, who assumed the role of Interim City Manager in April 2020 and left the City in June 2021.
“It is said that you can’t go back. True. But you can join those you once served and worked with to build back,” said Lawrence. “I am honored and look forward to assisting the Santa Monica City Council, community, and particularly members of the City Attorney’s Office, as everyone emerges from the pandemic and transitions to new opportunities.”
Lawrence brings with him over 30 years of institutional knowledge and has experience in all facets of the City’s legal issues. Some of his notable past accomplishments include leading the effort to recover almost $400 million for water contamination and reaching a settlement with the Federal Aviation Administration to close Santa Monica Airport in 2028.
Before announcing the rehiring of Lawrence, Council members took the time to thank Cardona for his years of service to the City and particularly for his dedication during the turbulent times of the pandemic.
“I want to recognize City Attorney George Cardona who has been with us for years, has performed the work of five people while he’s doing it, and has set new standards for handling meetings where we actually get to see what we’re voting on before we vote on it,” said Mayor Sue Himmelrich. “I am so grateful to you George for everything you’ve done and I’ll miss you terribly.”
Councilmember Gleam Davis also had heaps of praise for Cardona, who she thanked for always being willing to bear the brunt of community criticism in response to legal decisions the Council has made, while responding with patience and grace.
“I will give George the highest compliment that I could ever give an attorney, which is he’s brilliant, he is hardworking, and he is just a truly nice gentleman and he will be sorely missed,” said Davis.
These comments were echoed by all members of Council, who complimented Cardona’s intelligence, patience and diligence.
“I’ve worked with a lot of attorneys, you are by far one of the smartest. It is amazing to me your level of recall, without even knowing where the conversation is going, your ability to cite everything specifically, it’s photographic,” said Councilmember Kristen McCowan. “I am so impressed by you and it has truly been an honor to work with you.”
Clara@smdp.com
