HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda statement 1988/03/22 Item 4COUNCIL AGENDA STATEMENT
• Item 4
Meeting Date 3/22/88
ITEM TITLE: Resolution ~,3 ~ ~ ~ Appropriating 2,000 to Support the State
and Local Legal Center
SUBMITTID BY: City Attorneys ~a~.
(4/5ths Vote: Yes X No )
This appropriation would help support the State and Local Legal Center, which
helps cities prepare cases that are going to be argued before the Supreme
Court of the United States.
RECONIlKENDATION: Approve the resolution.
DISCUSSION:
At its March 1, 1988 meeting, the City Council referred back to staff a report
requesting an appropriation of 2,000 to support the State and Local Legal
Center. Council directed that staff outline the existing budget and other
sources of income available to the Legal Center as part of its report. A copy
of the previous report is attached as an exhibit to this A-113, along with a
• question and answer letter prepared by the Legal Center, which gives a fairly
thorough description of what it is and what it does.
In discussions with Legal Center staff, they informed us that the Center is
funded through a trust endowment. The goal of the Center is to raise
5,000,000 in endowments from cities, counties and State organizations and to
use the interest from that trust fund to support its activities. The Legal
Center's budget this year is 340,000. This funds three attorneys and an
assistant, plus costs. The major cost is printing, associated with the
preparation of amicus curiae briefs. The amount budgeted for printing this
year is 60,000.
The Center arrives at the amount of the requested donation by using a sliding
scale based upon population. The 2,000 requested from Chula Vista was based
on the mistaken belief that our population did not exceed 100,000. Cities
with a population between 100,000 and 200,000 are asked for a 5,000
contribution.
Arguments raised by the Legal Center are frequently cited by the U.S. Supreme
Court in support of its decisions in favor of cities and other governmental
entities. When a city loses a case before the Supreme Court, it can have
severe economic consequences on all cities throughout the country. Given the
success of the Legal Center, it's a cost effective proposal to support it.
FISCAL IMPACT: Cost of $2,000 with speculative savings should cases be decided
• in our favor due to work of Legal Center.
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