He works hard for the money

Last week, I reported that La Puente officials tacked on about $80,000 to their budget during the mid-year review for miscellaneous items. More than half of those additional funds are going to increased attorney’s fees for City Attorney James Casso - $50,000 to be exact.

La Puente City Manager Carol Cowley tells me that Casso is currently raking in $155 an hour for city attorney fees, and that number is sometimes higher depending on the project.
If approved by the City Council Tuesday night, Casso’s new rate fee will be as follows (according to a city staff report):
$190 an hour for city attorney services
$225 an hour for legal services for the Community Development Commission
$275 an hour for property acquisition or disposal services

According to Cowley, the city does not expect to use the additional $50,000 it budgeted for Casso. We’ll see.

As reporter Jennifer McLain pointed out in an earlier post, Casso works for Oakland-based Meyers Nave and also represents South El Monte’s redevelopment commission and the Water Replenishment District of Southern California.
Busy man. I should also point out Baldwin Park City Councilman Anthony Bejarano works for the same firm.