The Glendale City Council confirmed the appointment of Michael J. Garcia as the new City Attorney effective Sept.2. Garcia, currently serving as chief assistant city attorney, will replace Scott Howard who is set to retire in August.
Garcia has served as chief assistant in the City Attorney’s Office since April of 2005, coming from the City of Burbank where he was the senior assistant city attorney. In his current role, Garcia advises Council, the Redevelopment Agency, city manager and executive team, as well as staff, on a wide variety of municipal law issues. He is the principal legal advisor to the Community Development Department on matters pertaining to land use, planning, environmental law, affordable housing and general municipal law. Prior to joining the City of Burbank, Garcia practiced in the private sector and also served as Law Clerk for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.
Garcia is a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law in San Francisco and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. He is a member of the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and served as the 2009 President of the City Attorneys’ Association of Los Angeles County.
He and his wife Pilar have two sons – Tomas, 7, and Joaquin, 5.