Attorney to Retire From City
City Atty. Edward J. Cooper, who has been with the city for 20 years, has announced his retirement, effective May 18.
Cooper, 56, said he wants to enjoy his “golden years,” and looks forward to traveling in his recreational vehicle and possibly writing legal thrillers.
The Virginia native began with the city attorney’s office in 1976 as a police legal advisor before becoming the assistant city attorney. In 1980, he was appointed city attorney.
One recent high-profile legal issue concerning the city involved a 1992 anticamping ordinance, whose legality was successfully argued before the California Supreme Court. Opponents had charged that the ordinance unfairly penalized homeless people who had to sleep outdoors.
“The effect has been to bring some order back to the public areas,” Cooper said of the law. “We had public disorder before.”
Cooper, a graduate of Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles, earns just over $140,000 a year, not including benefits.
In 1989, four of seven City Council members voted to oust Cooper but never made clear their reasons. Cooper refused to leave office, saying that the City Charter required five votes. The bid to oust him eventually was dropped.
Cooper said one of his greatest accomplishments was negotiating the redevelopment agreement in the early 1980s that helped create the city’s upscale MainPlace/Santa Ana mall.
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