Elk Grove News Minute Midweek edition - Is Kronick Moskovitz' Elk Grove City Hall Rainmaker gratis?

In the legal business, a rainmaker is a person, usually a retired politician who is an attorney hired by a law firm, primarily to use t...



In the legal business, a rainmaker is a person, usually a retired politician who is an attorney hired by a law firm, primarily to use their contacts and influence to generate new clients and the all-important billings. 

The Sacramento white-shoe law firm of Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann and Girard seems to have planted a gratis rainmaker in Elk Gove City Hall.  


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4 comments

D.J. Blutarsky said...

EGN raises an interesting possibility. If a person owns a stock membership/profit sharing retirement plan in a company doing business within the jurisdiction, is that investment/deferred income reportable under FPPC law?

Besides the question above, another issue for taxpayers is when was the last time the City went out to bid for contract legal services? NEVER as my memory recalls. Back when the City formed in 2000, there were a lot of contracts offered to firms that just seemed to magically appear overnight (but were featured regularly on subsequent campaign contribution forms).

People can argue that institutional knowledge outweighs the need to go out to bid for essential services, but in my mind, how do the taxpayers know they are still receiving a fair value for services when bids are never solicited? We've also noticed an increasing number of contracts awarded to local firms without bidding. Again, contract favoritism or just coincidence?

Eye on Elk Grove said...

What bothers me is that the Elk Grove City Council never questions the amount of money being paid out to Kronick. Concerned citizens certainly have at public comment many times over.

The city council bought the rationale hook, line and sinker that expanding the city attorney’s office would alleviate having to contract out legal fees. Like Bobbleheads, nodding right on cue, they just went along with staff’s recommendation. Shouldn’t the city council be just a little bit upset that they were made out to look like fools once again?

And there’s the thing: The city of Elk Grove, to my knowledge, has never gone to trial on any lawsuit. I believe the city has settled out of court on every lawsuit the taxpayers have lost.

And those we have won, the P3 International lawsuit for example, on a $695K loss, “we” settled for $50k; with $45k going to Kronick for legal fees. And that measly settlement was for a lawsuit that Jon Hobbs told the council (and the public) was a “material breach of contract.”

Begs the question: What have “we” recouped on lawsuits that were iffy? But alas, Kronick keeps sending over the invoices with hundreds of thousands in billable hours to be paid in full by the taxpayers.

We don't have even one staff city attorney who could write a letter to the paper-tiger agency FPPC in response to complaints filed. They even farmed that out to Kronick.

I wonder if Kronick’s partners have a designated Maserati in their reserved parking lot courtesy of the city of Elk Grove to use when they deposit those deferred comp checks. . .laughing all the way?

D.J. Blutarsky said...

It's easy to settle when it's not your money! Maybe the Council needs to use these sample City Attorney evaluation templates used by other cities:

https://www.cacities.org/Member-Engagement/Professional-Departments/City-Attorneys/City-Attorney-Sample-Evaluation-Forms.aspx

Spoons and Forks said...

Every time I see, or more like hear Jon Hobbs nowadays, I am reminded how much he is just like attorney Nathan Thurm.

https://youtu.be/qWomk2yt-C8

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