City of Santa Maria
Home MenuCity Attorney's Office
204 E. Cook Street
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Hours of Operation: Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by appointment only, closed Fridays.
Frequently Asked Questions for the City Attorney's Office
The City Attorney’s Office manages the litigation and claims filed against and by the City. This is accomplished by providing excellent legal services. The City Attorney's Office has a staff of highly talented professionals with the expertise to provide comprehensive legal services that encompass any type of issue faced by our growing city. Additionally, the office continually strives to efficiently manage resources to meet the daily operational needs in a cost-effective and timely manner, while building the internal capacity to flexibly respond to the City’s ever changing legal needs.
THOMAS T. WATSON
City Attorney
City Attorney's Office
204 E. Cook Street
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Phone: (805) 925-0951 ext. 2310
City Fax: (805) 928-1275
E-mail: twatson@cityofsantamaria.org
Thomas T. Watson is an experienced litigator whose daily activities include:
- Day-to-day legal advice for City officials and employees
- Defending the City, taxpayers, and its officers and employees in civil litigation
- Coordinating and monitoring the investigation, settlement, and litigation arising from personal injury claims
- Prosecuting criminal and civil violations of the City's Municipal Code
- Defending minor personal injury suits against the City
- Negotiating civil settlements, franchises, and agreements on behalf of the City
- Drafting contracts, opinions, resolutions, and ordinances
- Handling minor collection cases in the City's behalf
- Representing the City in discovery matters initiated by third parties
- Representing the Successor Agency
- Assisting in Municipal Code updates
- Maintaining a law library
- Performing liaison activities with news media
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT:
- Juris Doctorate: Santa Clara University
- Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, California State University, Fresno
- City Attorney/City Prosecutor, City of Santa Maria
- City Attorney, City of Tracy
- City Attorney/City Prosecutor, City of South Lake Tahoe
- City Attorney, City of Woodlake
- City Attorney, City of Mendota
- City Attorney, City of Lindsay
- City Attorney, City of Porterville
- Interim City Attorney, City of Visalia
- Interim City Attorney, City of Farmersville
- Deputy County Counsel, Tulare County
- Litigator in Private Law Firms, Practiced in Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus, Sacramento, Kern, Mariposa and Kings Counties primarily.
- Admitted to Practice in California and Nevada, as well as all Federal Courts in California and Nevada.
Current Military Service
- First Lieutenant, California State Guard, Judge Advocate
- Legal Support Command, assigned to Camp San Luis Obispo Joint Training, Youth Programs and Military Museum Command
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES:
The City Attorney manages the litigation and claims filed against and by the City. The City Attorney provides day-to-day advice to City officials and employees. The City Attorney drafts ordinances, rules, resolutions, contracts, and policies.
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide effective representation in the public interest.
2023-24 Goals and Objectives
1. Assist the Community Development Department with developer negotiations, toward achieving the revitalization of the City’s downtown.
2. Collaborate with the City Manager’s Office regarding increased efficiencies in claims handling and prelitigation resolutions.
3. Prepare and present an updated Contract Processes policy and procedures to the City Manager’s Office, to provide contractual transparency and consistency.
4. Prepare and present ordinances to the City Council making technical amendments to the Municipal Code to update for changes in State law, new cases, and to clarify existing ordinances as required. This effort will include deleting outdated code provisions to reduce the regulatory burden on the City’s businesses and residents.
5. Continue to actively monitor and participate in tort and civil litigation to reduce the burden on the taxpayers of frivolous and non-meritorious cases.
6. Increase operational efficiencies on litigation matters via the acquisition and implementation of legal calendaring software that will provide a more efficient streamlined approach involving document control to outside counsel.
7. Represent the Police Department at Gun Violence Restraining Order hearings to reduce the occurrence of gun violence within the City.
8. Obtain Workplace Violence Restraining Orders as needed to protect City employees while at work and ensure a safe working environment free of outside violence.
9. Collaborate with the Community Development Department on the comprehensive update to the General Plan, the community’s vision for the growth and development.
10. Prepare and release updated contractual templates and assist departments in implementation.
City Attorney's Office Organizational Chart
*The City Attorney is an appointed officer identified in Government Code Section 87200 and files statements of economic interests with the City Clerk's office. Copies of the Statements of Economic Interests filed by the City Attorney may be obtained by visiting the offices of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) or the City Clerk. The physical address of the FPPC is 428 J Street, Suite 620, Sacramento, California 95814. The physical address of the City Clerk's office is 110 E. Cook Street, Room 3, Santa Maria, CA 93454. The Statements of Economic Interests (Form 700) for some State and local government agency elected officers may be available in electronic format on the FPPC's website at http://www.fppc.ca.gov.