Fresno City Hall photo by Breanna Hardy

The Fresno City Council has appointed an interim city attorney after past City Attorney Doug Sloan made his departure to the City of Santa Monica.

Council President Nelson Esparza and Council Vice President Tyler Maxwell appointed Senior Deputy City Attorney Rina Gonzales as Fresno’s interim city attorney after unanimous vote of the council Thursday.

The vote comes after accusations from Councilmember Garry Bredefeld that Esparza allegedly attempted to extort Sloan. Esparza followed up with a defamation suit against Bredefeld.

With an interim city attorney in place, the Fresno City Council is now prepared to begin the formal recruitment process for a permanent city attorney.

“Rina provides a wealth of knowledge and experience having served a multitude of municipal governments since 2005. I look forward to her leadership through our annual budget process,” said Maxwell. 

Gonzales has been with the City of Fresno since April 2019, and before that, she served as the deputy city attorney of the City of Riverside for more than 11 years. She also holds experience at a private law firm that provided legal counsel on contracts with various municipalities. 

“A graduate of UC Davis School of Law, well-respected by her colleagues, and experienced in general counsel, I am pleased to say Rina Gonzales has been appointed interim City Attorney for the City of Fresno,” said Esparza. “I am confident that Rina will provide the leadership that the City Attorney’s Office needs to be successful during this time of transition.”

The appointment becomes effective at the close of business on June 3.