RFP2M25-22 Request for Qualifications for Legal Counsel Services to the Alhambra Civil Service Commi

REQUEST FOR
QUALIFICATIONS
FOR
LEGAL COUNSEL SERVICES TO THE
ALHAMBRA CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
RFP2M25-22
City of Alhambra Proposal Issue Date: September 21. 2026
Human Resources Department Questions from Proposer Due: October 5, 2026
111 S. First Street Proposals Due: October 19, 2026
Alhambra, CA 91801
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CITY OF ALHAMBRA
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR
LEGAL COUNSEL SERVICES TO THE ALHAMBRA CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 3
II. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................................. 4
III. SCOPE OF SERVICES .................................................................................................................................... 4
IV. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT .................................................................................................................. 4
V. QUALIFICATION SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................. 5
VI. QUALIFICATION TIMELINES AND REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... 7
VII. EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA ...................................................................................................... 8
VIII. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT ....................................................................................................... 8
IX. SPECIAL PROVISIONS .................................................................................................................................. 8
ATTACHMENT A - Draft Professional Services Agreement ................................................................................. 11
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I. INTRODUCTION
The City of Alhambra (City) is a full-service municipality including Police and Fire, with approximately
380 full-time and 225 part-time employees. The City of Alhambra is located in the West San Gabriel
Valley, 8 miles from Downtown Los Angeles Civic Center. The City lies adjacent to the cities of South
Pasadena, San Marino and San Gabriel, in Los Angeles County. The City was incorporated in 1903,
became a charter city in 1915.
As a full service municipality, the City provides police, fire and emergency response services, building,
code enforcement, business license, engineering, maintenance, parks and recreation and other
programming and services to residents and public; as well as internal services and programs. The
following is an approximate breakdown of employees:
Managerial, Professional & Clerical: 148
Safety (i.e. Sworn Police & Fire personnel): 147
Field Services: 85
Part Time: 225
The City is soliciting qualifications from interested, qualified and experienced attorneys and legal
counsel firms to provide legal counsel services to the City of Alhambra Civil Service Commission. The
Alhambra Civil Service Commission is comprised of five City Council appointed commissioners. The Civil
Service Commission serves at the pleasure of the City Council.
The Civil Service Commission is convened to hear disciplinary appeals, consistent with the requirements
of the Alhambra City Charter, Alhambra Municipal Code and applicable State and Federal laws. To
ensure a fair and objective appeal process, the selected attorney or firm would serve as counsel to the
Civil Service Commission in connection with such proceedings. In such proceedings, City Management
is generally represented by the City Attorney's Office and City employees appealing proposed discipline
are represented by their own counsel.
The City is seeking statements of qualifications from qualified attorneys who will provide objective,
clear, understandable, and independent legal advice on personnel and employment related civil service
matters.
All prospective consultants will be afforded full opportunity to submit statements of qualifications in
response to this request and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, ancestry, color,
race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition,
military and veteran status, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religious creed, transgender
status or disability in consideration for an award of any contract entered into pursuant to this notice.
This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is an invitation by the City of Alhambra for qualified attorneys and
firms to submit a proposal, which may be subject to subsequent discussion. Qualified attorneys and
firms may submit their sealed qualification responses on or before October 19, 2026, by 5:00 PM PST
to:
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City of Alhambra - City Clerk
Attn: Legal Counsel Services to Alhambra Civil Service Commission (RFP2M25-22)
111 S. First Street
Alhambra, CA 91801
II. BACKGROUND
To be considered by the City, proposing legal service providers should submit a comprehensive proposal
of qualification, including information as indicated in the Proposal Requirements sections below.
III. SCOPE OF SERVICES
This contract is intended to cover on an as-needed basis, legal services to the Alhambra Civil Service
Commission. The term of engagement shall be three years, with an option to renew.
The selected attorney will provide legal services including, but not limited to:
* Provide legal counsel and advice regarding the interpretation of City of Alhambra
Administrative Policies, Alhambra Municipal Code, Alhambra Fire Department and Lexipol
Policies, Alhambra Police Department and Lexipol Policies, and Civil Service Commission rules.
* Attend meetings (and special meetings) on an as needed basis to provide legal advice and
guidance to the Alhambra Civil Service Commission.
* Serve as legal counsel to provide objective legal advice to the Alhambra Civil Service
Commission during hearings for suspension, dismissal, demotions, appeals, involving city
employees subject to civil service rights.
* Advise the Alhambra Civil Service Commission on investigations of complaints.
* Assist the Alhambra Civil Service Commission in administrative hearings and/or related
regulatory matters.
* Assist the Alhambra Civil Service Commission in the drafting, reviewing or amending of the
Commission rules, regulations, notices of investigations, and Commission decisions.
* Review and respond to public records requests, when and where applicable to the Alhambra
Civil Service Commission.
* Process subpoena requests from employees or their legal representatives.
* Provide general legal guidance on personnel and procedural matters affecting the Alhambra
Civil Service Commission.
* Ensure compliance with the State open meetings and public records laws.
IV. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS
* The applicant must be a licensed, active member and in good standing with the California State
Bar.
* Qualified applicants must have a minimum of five (5) years of municipal employment law and
legal experience in California.
* Must possess a minimum of two years of legal experience serving as legal counsel to a public
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agency Personnel Commission, Employment Board, Civil Service Commission or equivalent.
* Possess a demonstrated knowledge and experience in labor and employment law, civil service
law, and administrative law pertaining to municipal employees and public safety police and fire
employees.
* Possess no conflicts of interest that would preclude representation.
V. QUALIFICATION SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
Proposals should be a straightforward, concise description of the Applicant's firm, background, qualifications,
capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFQ, and proposed pricing.
Proposals should be organized in a bookmarked PDF document that includes the following sections and
content:
Section Description
Letter of The proposal shall include a transmittal letter, signed by a duly
Transmittal authorized representative of the firm/attorney, and must
include the name, address, telephone number and email
address of the Respondent and those (if necessary) to whom
any correspondence should be directed. Provide the legal
entity name, Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN),
and form of business (i.e. Corporation, LLP, etc.). The letter
shall contain a statement to the effect that the proposal and
fee schedule are valid and binding for 180 days.
Identification of The response to this RFQ should include descriptions of the
Attorneys attorney or attorneys (partners/principals and associates) that
may be assigned to work with and who would have primary
responsibility for providing regular services to the Alhambra
Civil Service Commission under the proposal. For each
attorney, the proposal should identify the overall capabilities,
qualifications, trainings, areas of expertise, and prior
experience, as they relate to the desired qualifications and
experience described in this RFQ. Include names, resumes,
publications, scholastic honors, and professional affiliations,
and length of employment with the firm.
Support Staff The proposal should include information about the types of
support staff, such as other attorneys, paralegals, interns and
others in the firm who would be assigned to perform work for
the City and whose time would be billed for such work. The
response should include information about how the firm plans
to utilize support staff within the City's budget constraints.
Description of The proposal should describe the services the firm proposes
Services to provide in a way that demonstrates understanding of the
needs of the City, the firm's overall experience with municipal
employment law, and any special qualifications that are
believed to distinguish it from other law firms. Describe the
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nature of your/the law firm's practice, as well as qualifications
for providing legal services as legal counsel to the Alhambra
Civil Service Commission.
Rates and Charges The proposed means of compensation, including hourly rates
or fees to be charged for each individual named in the Request
for Qualifications, should be listed. A schedule of the rates or
amounts for all fees, charges, and expenses to be billed by
each attorney or staff member should also be included.
Availability and The proposal should include an indication of the commitment
Commitment to to provide the services by the attorney or attorneys with
principal responsibility for providing services to the City. In this
Provide Services
context, the words availability and commitment should be
taken in their broadest meanings, incorporating time,
flexibility in scheduling, office location of the attorney or
attorneys, and firm or personal policies and practices with
regard to returning calls and meeting deadlines. Any
significant time period required before beginning services
should be noted.
Knowledge of City The proposal should describe familiarity with unique issues
of Alhambra Issues facing local governments in Los Angeles County and the City of
Alhambra in particular.
Actual or * Please list any political contributions of money, in kind
Perceived Conflicts services, or loans made to any member of the City of
Alhambra Council within the last five years by the
applicant law firm and all of its attorneys (including the
attorney being proposed as counsel to the Civil Service
Commission).
* Please list all public clients for which your firm has
provided services over the last five years.
* Please identify any foreseeable potential conflicts of
interest which would result from such representation
and the manner in which you would propose to resolve
such conflicts.
* For the proposed attorney, please specify current or
known future professional commitments in order that
the City may evaluate your continuing availability for
providing legal services to the Civil Service Commission.
Reasonable diligence to identify and disclose potential
conflicts is expected of all firms submitting a response to this
RFQ. The proposal should also provide a statement or
description of firm policy to address how conflicts of interest
between two or more clients are avoided.
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References References from three to five comparable and representative
public agency clients, which the firm is currently working with
or has worked in the recent past, and the public agency's
teams should be included, with contact information, including
the contact's name, title, agency, phone and email address.
Specify the client location, consultant firm members and
participating individuals, and their roles on the team, type of
work, and other relevant information.
VI. QUALIFICATION TIMELINES AND REQUIREMENTS
ACTION DATES
RFQ ISSUED Monday, September 21, 2026
QUESTIONS FROM PROPOSERS DUE (if any) Monday, October 5, 2026 by 5:00 PM PST
RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS Monday, October 12, 2026
QUALIFICATION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE Monday, October 19, 2026 by 5:00 PM PST
EVALUATION OF QUALIFICATIONS PERIOD October 2026
ANTICIPATED REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL November 2026
ANTICIPATED CONTRACT DATE November 2026
1. All questions regarding this RFQ should to be directed in writing no later than 5:00 PM PST, on
October 5, 2026, to: Mariam Ko, Director of Human Resources & Risk Management, and may be
sent via email to mko@alhambraca.gov. Answers will be sent to all potential respondents.
2. Submission of Qualifications shall include the following:
* One (1) original and three (3) printed hard copies of your proposal
* One (1) electronic copy of your proposal in PDF format on a flash drive or other electronic
media
All proposals must be filed with the City Clerk's Office, in City Hall, 111 S. First Street, Alhambra, California
91801 on or before 5:00 PM PST, October 19, 2026. It is the sole responsibility of the proposer to see
that their proposal is submitted in proper time. Any proposal received after the scheduled closing time
for receipt of proposals will be returned to the proposer unopened. Faxed, emailed, or proposals
submitted in a format other than specified will be rejected. Copies of the bid proposal and related
information must be submitted in a sealed envelope or box clearly marked as stated below:
City of Alhambra - City Clerk "Legal Counsel to the Alhambra Civil Service Commission" (RFP2M25-22)
111 S. First Street
Alhambra, CA 91801
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VII. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS
The City anticipates making a selection of an attorney following a careful evaluation of all relevant
information. Calls to submitting attorneys and/or firms and their references may be made to clarify the
material in submittals. Based on this review, the best qualified attorney may be invited to a personal
interview. The main criteria used to evaluate the RFQ will concern the experience and qualifications of
the attorney who would be assigned to the City of Alhambra Civil Service Commission. The material
submitted in the proposal, interviews with the attorneys, and references will be determinative factors
in making the selection.
City Staff will make a recommendation to the City Manager who will then submit to City Council for final
approval. The successful proposer shall provide all documents required by the agreement (including
insurance certificates) in order to fully execute the professional services agreement contract.
VIII. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
The firm selected by the City Council to provide the services outlined in this RFQ will be required to
execute a Professional Services Agreement with the City. A draft of the general form of the Professional
Services Agreement is attached hereto as Attachment A to give proposers an opportunity to review the
terms and conditions that will be included in the final contractual agreement.
If a proposer desires any additions, deletions or modifications to the form of Agreement, they must be
submitted with the proposal. Except for any such additions, deletions, and modifications, the proposer
will, by making a proposal, be deemed to have accepted the form of Agreement attached. No requests
for modifications will be accepted unless such requests were submitted with the proposal.
IX. SPECIAL PROVISIONS
The following terms and conditions apply to this RFQ:
1. The awarding of any contract shall be contingent on the availability of funds and the required staff
and City Council approvals. No single factor will determine the final award decision.
2. Any submission of qualifications received after the date and time specified in this RFQ will not be
considered and will be returned unopened. Postmarks will not be considered.
3. The City reserves the right to withdraw this RFQ at any time without prior notice.
4. Any proposal may be withdrawn at any time prior to the date and time fixed for the opening of the
proposals by submitting a written request to the City of Alhambra - City Clerk. The request shall be
signed by an individual authorized to bind the respondent.
5. Disclosure/Public Records Act. Until award of the contract, the proposals shall be held in
confidence and shall not be available for public review. Upon award of a contract to the successful
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respondent, all proposals shall be public records. No proposal shall be returned after the date and
time set for opening thereof. All proposals shall become the property of the City of Alhambra.
6. The City reserves the right to retain all qualifications submitted, whether the qualification was
selected or judged to be responsive.
7. Due care and diligence have been exercised in the preparation of this RFQ and all information
contained herein is believed to be substantially correct; however, the responsibility for determining
the full extent of the services rests solely with those making responses. Neither the City nor its
representatives shall be responsible for any error or omission in this response, nor for the failure on
the part of the respondents to determine the full extent of their exposures. The RFQ does not
commit the City to award a contract. The City reserves the right to select a vendor from the
responses received; to waive any or all informalities and/or irregularities; to re-advertise with either
an identical or revised scope, to cancel any requirement in its entirety; or to reject any or all
qualifications received. The City also reserves the right to approve any subcontractors used by
submitting vendors.
8. The City retains the right to contact any/all proposing vendors after submittal in order to obtain
supplemental information and/or clarification in either oral or written form and to engage in
negotiations. Furthermore, an explicit provision of this RFQ is that any oral communication made is
not binding on the City's qualification process.
9. Cost. The City will not be liable for, nor pay for any costs incurred by responding firms relating to the
preparation of any proposal for this RFQ. In addition, no such expenses shall be included as part of
the price proposed.
10. Respondents are directed not to contact other City staff, Alhambra City Council, or members of the
Alhambra Civil Service Commission in conjunction with this request. All queries must be submitted
in writing.
11. Substantive requests for information received may be responded to in writing by the City in the form
of an addendum to this RFQ and sent to all RFQ recipients. It shall be the respondent's responsibility
to check the City of Alhambra's website to obtain any addenda that may be issued for the RFQ.
12. Right to reject. Submission of proposal indicates acceptance by the firm of the conditions contained
in this request for proposals unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and
confirmed in the contract between the City and the firm selected.
The City reserves the right without prejudice to reject any or all proposals. Furthermore, the City
reserves the right to reject the proposal of any proposer who previously failed to perform properly,
or complete on time, agreements of a similar nature, or to reject the proposal of a proposer who is
not in a position to perform such an agreement satisfactorily.
The City also reserves the right to waive any informality or technical defect in a proposal and to
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accept or reject, in whole or in part, any or all proposals and to advertise for new proposals, as best
serves the interest of the City.
Finally, the City reserves the right to make such investigations as it deems necessary to determine
the ability of the proposer to perform the work and the proposer shall furnish to the City all such
information and data for this purpose as the City may request. The City reserves the right to reject
any proposal if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of such proposer, fails to satisfy the City
that such proposer is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the contract and to complete
the work contemplated therein.
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