Santa Rosa hires San Francisco law firm in wake of Caroline Fowler’s departure

Santa Rosa has hired a San Francisco-based law firm to act as its interim attorney and to perform an evaluation of the City Attorney’s Office following the resignation of Caroline Fowler, who held the post for eight years.

The City Council on Tuesday approved a professional services contract with the public agency law firm Renne Sloan Holtzman & Sakai.

The contract calls for one of the firm’s attorneys, Teresa Stricker, to serve as interim city attorney, at a rate of $295 per hour, beginning July 1.

Assistant City Attorney Molly Dillon has been filling in since Fowler’s departure June 18.

In addition, the outside firm will perform an analysis of the structure of the City Attorney’s Office, Mayor John Sawyer said. A partner in the firm, former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne, will conduct the work, which is not to exceed $200,000, according to the contract.

Sawyer said the council decided to perform the analysis in an effort to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the office, which is made up of seven attorneys and six support staff.

The goal is to see if any reforms are needed before a new city attorney is hired, Sawyer said.

Fowler, 57, announced in May she would join the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office to prosecute environmental crimes.

Some council members considered Fowler a tough, knowledgeable, and loyal city attorney. Others viewed her as combative and ineffective. She openly clashed with Councilman Gary Wysocky, her harshest critic, and Councilwoman Julie Combs once publicly branded her as “rogue” for what she considered Fowler’s intransigence.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.