City Council Approves Appointment of Cerritos City Attorney
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Cerritos City Attorney press release
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CERRITOS, CA - December 13, 2024 - The Cerritos City Council on Thursday approved the hiring of Pam Lee as City Attorney. Lee, who brings 17 years of service in legal affairs, is an Equity Partner with Aleshire & Wynder law firm in Orange County. She currently serves as the City Attorney for the Cities of Calabasas and Hesperia.
“The City Council is pleased to welcome Pam Lee to Cerritos to lead the City Attorney’s Office,” said Cerritos Mayor Naresh Solanki. “We look forward to her counsel as part of our commitment to providing high-quality community support services.”
Lee’s legal affairs background includes service with the cities of Rialto, Lynwood, and as the Assistant/Interim City Attorney for the City of Cerritos. Over her career, she has successfully argued and defended municipal litigation matters in State and Federal courts, including successfully arguing an eminent domain/regulatory takings case before the California Supreme Court. Most recently, Lee won an important lawsuit on behalf of charter cities against the State challenging the constitutionality of SB 9, a State law that in essence eliminated single family residential zones. The City of Cerritos participated in that lawsuit via an amicus brief.
“I’m excited to once again serve the City of Cerritos and am thankful to the City Council for their consideration and support,” said Lee. “I am looking forward to working on behalf of staff and the Cerritos community and bringing my passion for public service to the City Attorney’s Office.”
“Ms. Lee brings an extensive legal background in public agency law, land use and planning, affordable housing, and labor and employment matters. We’re pleased to have her rejoin the City of Cerritos and support our strategic efforts,” said City Manager Robert A. Lopez.
Bill Ihrke, Government and Regulatory Partner with the Rutan & Tucker, LLP law firm, will continue to support the City as Special Legal Counsel. His service with Cerritos includes representative counsel in cases related to housing projects and commercial vehicle traffic. In 2024, Ihrke and the Rutan & Tucker team successfully defended the City’s proper implementation of a vehicle weight restriction ordinance, ensuring city control of truck traffic on local streets in a published, precedent-setting appellate opinion.
“On behalf of the City, I’d like to extend our collective appreciation to Mr. Ihrke and the Rutan & Tucker team for their dedicated service to Cerritos,” said Lopez. “His support of the City in various legal matters has strengthened how we serve the residents and businesses in our community. The City looks forward to Mr. Ihrke’s continued partnership as our Special Legal Counsel.”
Under the City’s Charter and governing documents, the City Council directly hires the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk.
The Cerritos City Attorney’s Office provides general legal counseling services to the City, City Council, committees and employees.
For More Information
Contact City Hall at (562) 860-0311