Michele Beal Bagneris, Esq. is the City Attorney/City Prosecutor for the City of Pasadena, California. She is responsible for managing all civil and criminal legal matters for the city. She and her staff advise the city council, city advisory bodies, commissions and committees, city departments, the Rose Bowl Operating Company, the Pasadena Convention Center, and the Pasadena Community Access Corporation. As City Prosecutor, she oversees prosecution of misdemeanor and infraction violations, and special programs such as the Truancy, Nuisance Abatement and Domestic Violence programs. She supervises approximately 30 employees in the department and manages all litigation and transactional matters handled by in-house and outside lawyers.
At the time she was appointed City Attorney by the Pasadena City Council in 1997, Ms. Bagneris was a shareholder at the law firm of Richards, Watson & Gershon, where she specialized in public law since joining the firm in 1983. While serving as Pasadena City Attorney, she continued to practice law as a member of the firm, advising public clients in a wide range of areas including land use, general advisory matters, litigation, labor and employment, code enforcement and nuisance abatement matters. While at the firm, she served on the firm’s Hiring and Associates Evaluation Committees and handled and supervised other lawyers in municipal prosecution matters (misdemeanors and infractions) for the firm’s clients. She also served as Assistant City Attorney for a number of cities throughout Los Angeles County and was the City Attorney for the City of Monrovia from 1992 until she departed from the law firm after 16 years of practice. In 1999, she left the firm to become the full-time, in-house City Attorney for Pasadena.
Ms. Bagneris received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Stanford University in 1980 and was selected to participate in the International Political Economy program in London, England. She received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley in 1983. She has conducted seminars and presented papers to public officials, the League of California Cities, Southern California Code Enforcement Organization, Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, and other professional organizations on a wide range of municipal law matters.
Ms. Bagneris is active in professional and community organizations, including: Board Member, League of California Cities; Institute for Local Government; past President of the Los Angeles County City Prosecutor’s Association; past President of the League of California Cities City Attorney’s Department; past President of the City Attorney’s Association of Los Angeles County; various League of California Cities committees; and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Urban League and on the State Bar Committee on Human Rights. She has been awarded the Medal of Excellence from Women at Work, Humanitarian Award from the Alkebu-lan Cultural Center, and named a Woman of Excellence by the YWCA. She has received commendations and awards from other organizations and has been the keynote speaker before religious and community groups. She has also volunteered in classrooms and participated in panel discussions at U.S.C. Law School. Ms. Bagneris is married to Jules S. Bagneris, III, and they have three children.