As City Attorney, Dawn McIntosh has the experience and vision we need to keep our city on track and on target. The Long Beach City Attorney is a non-partisan legal advisor for the city. The position does not set policy, but instead implements city policies and acts as the City’s attorney in court. Dawn’s 33-year record speaks for itself, with experience working to protect our city, our environment, and our neighborhoods:

• Experienced trial attorney handling cases in state and federal courts, appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Handled environmental, regulatory and land use compliance and transactional matters for a broad range of projects and issues for cities and governmental agencies throughout the State (development projects, zoning and land use regulations, hydropower operations, oil and gas operations, endangered species issues and water rights issues), including a class-action lawsuit settlement against Monsanto which resulted in a settlement and $18.75 million for the City.
• Handled Constitutional issues involving the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment takings.
• Drafted purchase and sale agreements, leases, licenses, mitigation agreements, conservation easements and various other real estate agreements.
• Extensive experience with Coastal Act and tidelands trust issues.
• Extensive experience with the California Public Records Act and Brown Act, which ensure transparency and accountability in government. Worked with the Ethics Commission to increase transparency and ethics training for City staff, boards, committees and commissions.
• Coordination with the City of Los Angeles and LA28 to bring a world-class Olympic experience to LA and the City of Long Beach.
• Senior Endangered Species Act attorney for NOAA General Counsel handling land use issues impacting endangered species throughout California and Hawaii.

Dawn McIntosh is committed to providing top notch legal services for the City with integrity and the highest ethics. She will continue to work with the City Council and City Manager to tackle the big issues facing our City – homelessness and mental health, the environment, public safety and social equity.

The City Attorney is a non-partisan legal advisor for the City. It is very different from the City Council or Mayor – the City Attorney is not a politician and does not set policy. In this job, experience matters. Knowledge of the laws affecting the City and its residents matters. Being knowledgeable about, and having hands-on involvement in, a wide range of city department functions – such as tidelands, the port, the airport, the water department – matters. City Attorney Dawn McIntosh has the experience the City needs.