Glen Googins, who has been serving as Chula Vista’s metropolis lawyer since 2010 and was barred by time period limits from working once more, has a brand new job in Silicon Valley.
The Santa Clara Metropolis Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to nominate him as their new metropolis lawyer. He’s anticipated to start his new position on March 1, in line with the employment settlement.
Googins’ appointment comes forward of a November particular election in Chula Vista to fill the town lawyer seat. Voters in November had elected the late Simon Silva, a longtime Chula Vista deputy metropolis lawyer, however he died in September. The Metropolis Council final month declared the seat vacant and referred to as for a particular election. In the meantime, Googins mentioned he would proceed within the place on an interim foundation.
This week, Googins is predicted to suggest a course of for the Metropolis Council to nominate an appearing metropolis lawyer upon his departure and till a successor is elected and sworn into workplace. He might recommend the formation of an advert hoc Metropolis Council subcommittee to facilitate the method, in line with a metropolis agenda report.
Googins utilized for the Bay Space job in April and commenced interviewing a month later. He was chosen from a pool of 15 candidates, in line with Santa Clara officers.
His Bay Space appointment was not unanimous.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kathy Watanabe voted in opposition. Each officers mentioned their votes weren’t private however relatively an objection to the August 2021 firing of former Metropolis Legal professional Brian Doyle with out trigger. Doyle’s dismissal got here after repeated conflicts with the San Francisco 49ers soccer group over the town’s Levi’s Stadium. The town had employed an out of doors counsel to fill the position within the interim, costing the town cash Gillmor mentioned might have been saved by not firing Doyle within the first place.
“We nonetheless haven’t utterly resolved all of the monetary points with that metropolis lawyer. We went on to rent a agency and paid, in lower than a yr, almost $1 million or possibly extra. I don’t know the place it’s now and now we’re trying to rent one other lawyer at a better charge. It’s nothing in opposition to Mr. Googins or his skilled functionality,” mentioned Gillmor.
Googins didn’t reply to a request for remark relating to his appointment.
Underneath his employment settlement, Googins will obtain an annual base wage of $345,000, plus advantages, and a one-time relocation help cost of $15,000. His Chula Vista base wage is about $231,000. He was termed out in December and is barred from re-election.
Googins is credited with serving to to ahead main Chula Vista initiatives, such because the Gaylord Resort Resort and Conference Heart on the bayfront that broke floor final yr and the town’s acquisition and operation of the Elite Athletic Coaching Heart.
