Overpaid lawyers
Editor:
In a law suit filed by various SM airport groups against the city; improper documentation of loans by the city to the airport was found by the FAA. It is unbelievable that Santa Monica City did not have legal documents properly prepared as disclosed in the decision. What does our overstaffed, overpaid legal department do. Its spending totaled $15,769,099 in fiscal year 2018-2019 (city figures from this years budget) and yet it puts out “documents lacking signatures, no stated or documented interest rates” etc according to the ruling handed down last month.
Lawyers in the department are being paid over $200,000 a year and yet it seems they are playing at being lawyers. First year contract law teaches what a proper loan contract is, get rid of the incompetents who handled these documents. Someone in that department expects that a document that is not signed by proper parties will be enforceable? In what universe? This is not acceptable. Make the individuals responsible pay for any damages or costs of appeals.
Bob Wolff
Santa Monica
