Santa Clara’s new interim city attorney has deep ties to San Jose, the big neighbor that Santa Clara is in a legal battle with over development.
The Santa Clara City Council this week appointed Brian Doyle to the interim city attorney job for six months. The appointment comes a week after City Attorney Ren Nosky announced he’s leaving to take a job at a private law firm in San Jose.
So Santa Clara chose Doyle, who was serving as the Santa Clara County Housing Authority’s lawyer. Doyle, who previously worked for San Jose for 21 years, made waves in 2012 for rallying against a controversial pension reform measure.
Doyle was unavailable for comment.
Councilwoman Teresa O’Neill said she recruited Doyle to apply for the job. She called him a friend — they go to the same church — and often turned to him for advice, even though he wasn’t the city’s attorney.
“I know he cares a lot about the city and the issues we are facing,” O’Neill told IA. “We would talk about all the various things going on and we’d bounce ideas off each other because of his expertise. He has a lot of integrity and I respect his community involvement.”
Doyle, who lives in Santa Clara and chairs the city’s Civil Service Commission, was rumored to be Mayor Lisa Gillmor‘s top pick for several weeks. Gillmor and her council allies often sparred with Nosky over issues related to the San Francisco 49ers.
San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle — no relation to Brian — wished his former employee the best. He joins other former San Jose employees, like Rajeev Batra and Ruth Shikada, who left for opportunities in Santa Clara.
“We always appreciated his good work in San Jose and wish him the best in Santa Clara,” Doyle said. “We obviously have issues with Santa Clara and hopefully we’ll be able to resolve those.”
O’Neill says Brian Doyle’s experience and relationships with San Jose City Hall could give her city an edge in a slew of legal fights over development projects along city borders. “It could be an extra benefit,” she said, “but it’s not the reason we hired him.”
