Napa City Hall has locked in its next top lawyer, with the City Council voting Tuesday to appoint Renee Giacomini Brewer as city attorney. Her three-year contract, which begins Aug. 24 and comes with a $290,000 annual base salary, will return Napa to a permanent in-house legal chief after more than two years of leaning mostly on interim counsel.
Council Sign Off And Reaction
The council approved Brewer at its meeting earlier this week, and Mayor Scott Sedgley praised her background, saying her deep expertise in public agency law and collaborative approach to problem solving will be invaluable to our organization and the community. That praise and the appointment notice appear in a City of Napa news flash.
Inside The Employment Agreement
The city's staff materials and the formal employment agreement list an Aug. 24 start date, an initial three-year term, and a $290,000 annual base salary. The contract also includes relocation support, vacation and management leave credits, and a severance provision if the attorney is terminated without cause. See the full terms in the city's Legistar system.
Brewer's Experience
Brewer has worked for the Marin County Office of County Counsel since the mid-1990s, serving in roles that include Assistant County Counsel, Chief Deputy County Counsel, and acting as general counsel to the Marin Housing Authority. Her long tenure in county government is listed on the office's staff page at the Marin County Office of County Counsel.
After A Long Interim Stretch
Napa has been operating without a long-term city attorney since Michael Barrett departed in April 2024, relying on a mix of in-house acting counsel and outside firms while it searched for a permanent hire. The City Council appointed Christopher Diaz of Best Best & Krieger as interim city attorney effective Sept. 7, 2024, and later expanded the BBK contract to cover ongoing needs while the permanent search continued. Those actions are documented in the council's Legistar record. The city's archival notice about Barrett's departure is also available on the City of Napa website.
Brewer's arrival will put a single, in-house lawyer back at the center of legal decisions for litigation, land use, and labor matters. City staff said a fuller professional biography and onboarding details will be shared before her late August start.
