City Attorney and City Prosecutor
City of Pasadena

Michele Beal Bagneris, Esq., 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, Health, Water & Power, and all city departments, the Rose Bowl, Convention Center, and Pasadena Media. As City Prosecutor, she oversees prosecution of misdemeanor and infraction violations, and special programs. She supervises approximately 35 employees and manages all litigation and transactional matters handled by in-house and outside lawyers.

When 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. 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 to become the in-house City Attorney for Pasadena.

Ms. Bagneris received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Stanford University, 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. She has conducted seminars and presented papers to various organizations on a wide range of municipal law matters.

Ms. Bagneris is active in professional and community organizations, including: President of the L.A. County 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; Past Chair of the Institute for Local Government; past Board Member, League of California Cities; various League of California Cities committees; and the Los Angeles County, Langston and Black women Lawyers’ Bar Associations. 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 numerous honors and has been the keynote speaker before religious and community groups. Ms. Bagneris is married to Rev. Dr. Jules S. Bagneris, III, and they have three adult children.