City Attorney reports closed session actions; council authorized retention of conflict counsel in Polito v. City of Carson

The City Attorney reported out of closed session that the council met under Government Code sections cited for significant exposure to litigation, potential initiation of litigation, pending litigation, and labor negotiations. The report said no reportable action was taken on several matters, but the council authorized the city to retain conflict counsel in the case of Polito v. City of Carson and that the related contract will be available for inspection once completed.

The attorney identified other matters discussed: Charles v. City of Carson (WCAB case ADJ 165,437,722) where no reportable action was taken, and Garcia v. City of Carson was noted as not taken up in closed session. The labor negotiations session with AFSCME Local 809 part-timers produced no reportable action.

Why it matters: authorizing conflict counsel is a formal action that addresses attorney-client conflict issues when elected officials are parties to litigation.