Molly S. Stump Named Palo Alto City Attorney

Molly S. Stump is slated to become the next city attorney for Palo Alto, Mayor Sid Espinosa said Thursday.

Pending City Council approval, Stump will be officially on the job April 18.

Stump comes to Palo Alto after a 15-year career in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where she served as general counsel for the San Francisco International Airport—the seventh-largest airport in the nation—and was chief counsel to the airport director and Airport Commission.

Her base salary is $208,375.

“Molly Stump has spent her entire legal career in service to the public sector,” said Espinosa. “We welcome her to Palo Alto. We are excited that she is joining the team, and we look forward to working with her.”

Gary Baum, the previous city attorney, retired Oct. 31, 2010, after six years of service.

Councilwoman Karen Holman, who chairs the Council/CAO Committee, said, “We are very pleased that Molly Stump has accepted our offer, and we welcome the experience, expertise and capability that she brings to Palo Alto. We look forward to a long relationship and the beneficial impact she will have on our community.”

Stump previously served as supervisor for San Francisco’s public protection team, acting as chief counsel to the police commission and the police chief. She was also in charge of the legal staff that advised all public safety departments.

In her role as attorney on the general government team, Stump served as special transition counsel to the incoming mayor, Gavin Newsom. She signed on to the San Francisco city attorney’s team in 1996 as a lawyer on the labor and employment group, defending the city in employment litigation and negotiating labor agreements.

Stump also served as law clerk to the Honorable Marilyn Hall Patel, U.S. District Court judge, and graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and Pomona College in Claremont. She is member of the California State Bar.