Since Dawn took over as Long Beach City Attorney in 2022, the first woman to serve as the City’s top legal advisor, she has worked tirelessly to serve the residents of Long Beach and keep the City on strong legal footing. Dawn brings more than 33 years of experience to the role, having served cities and government agencies throughout California in litigation and transactional matters. She has dedicated her entire career to improving our environment, our communities, and helping solve complex problems. One of her significant accomplishments since joining the City was an award of $18.75 million in favor of the City from the Monsanto corporations.

McIntosh has strong support from local and national leaders, including Congressman Robert Garcia, California Senator Lena Gonzalez, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, former City Attorney Charlie Parkin, and many others.

McIntosh’s three-decade career in law spans service in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) where she focused on endangered species
protection, land use, and NOAA coordination with other agencies. In private practice she focused on land use, environmental issues, First Amendment and regulatory matters for cities and governmental agencies. For the past ten years, Dawn has served the City of Long Beach in the City Attorney’s Office, first as a member of the legal team handling issues for the Port of Long Beach, then as Assistant City Attorney and, for the last three years, the elected City Attorney. She is uniquely suited to continue handling the incredibly complex issues of our large, diverse city.

A longtime Long Beach resident, Dawn is deeply committed to her family and community service. In her spare time, she is a competitive sailor, enjoys rollerblading and pickleball, and is a former marathoner.