Criminals beware – City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is on the job and determined to enforce the law as she serves the residents of Los Angeles.
It’s a big charge, especially considering the scope of her responsibilities. As the City of Los Angeles’ top lawyer, Feldstein Soto is the legal adviser and handles all the legal work for all city departments and the City Council as well as prosecutes misdemeanor crimes.
“That’s my job and it’s a much bigger job than I thought. I’m the general counsel for over 300 boards, commissions, and departments of the city. From A, animal services, all the way to Z, the zoo,” said Feldstein Soto, who the first female to serve in the position in the city’s history and the and first Latina to win a citywide election.
Her duties appear dauting, but this city attorney embraces the role of public servant and views her position as an opportunity to “implement solutions.”
“I ran for office because I wanted to try to implement solutions. I don’t want to decide the solutions. That’s for the policymakers. But I want to find a pathway that works for our policy makers to be able to implement their policy and I want to be able to enforce the laws that they think are important,” she explained.
“I believe that the position required a commitment to being a lawyer as opposed to a commitment for some future political office. I thought it required legal experience and acumen, the ability to manage a 1,000-person workforce, and a true calling to public service, which I think I have,” said Feldstein Soto, adding that she also possesses “maturity, a sense of humor, patience and a willingness to serve.”
She will likely employ all those traits as she develops legal avenues to resolve pressing issues affecting the city such as homelessness, sex trafficking, and copper wire theft. In fact, Feldstein Soto had made significant process in those three areas by working closely with Mayor Karen Bass, the City Council, and various city, county, and state agencies.
To help the city better address the homeless crisis, Feldstein Soto established the City Attorney’s Real Estate Branch, which deals with all homelessness-related issues including the Mayor’s Inside Safe Initiative and any other city projects to reduce the number of unhoused people. Also, the Office of the City Attorney operates the Clean Slate program, which aims to dismiss unresolved misdemeanor warrants from the record of an unhoused client.
“People who cannot afford a roof over their heads and are sleeping in the only space available to them really don’t need the added burden of a criminal record in their search for employment or housing,” noted the city attorney.
As for eliminating sex trafficking, Feldstein Soto joined with Mayor Bass, Council President Pro Temp Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and LAPD to target predators and assist victims working along the Figueroa Corridor in South L.A. The effort recently earned kudos for decreasing crime, prostitution and drug dealing along the five-mile stretch from Martin Luther King Blvd. to the 105 Freeway.
“I want to be clear. The initiative is not about arresting sex workers. What we have been doing is citing the johns,” she said describing the actions of the taskforce, which is comprised of the City Attorney’s Office, LAPD, U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and Homeland Security.
“We have arrested and referred to the U.S. Attorney for prosecution about a dozen pimps and we have been successful in facilitating 60 minors or young girls from the Figueroa Corridor by working with groups such as Journey Out and Sister Friends,” Feldstein Soto said.
“Perhaps most importantly what my office can do is shut down the places that are in violation of the law by providing a nuisance where all of this illegal activity can occur. I’ve tried very hard to focus on taking the profit motive out of crime,” she added.
Feldstein Soto is utilizing a similar approach to deal with the increase in copper wire thefts, which is negatively affecting the streetlights in communities across Los Angeles. Partnering with the City Council and Bureau of Street Lighting, the city attorney launched an initiative to wipe out the market for copper wire.
Regarding this activity, the city attorney said, “As Council President [Paul] Krekorian put it, it makes all of our neighborhoods darker and less safe.” So, Feldstein Soto is targeting recycling businesses that purchase the stolen copper wire, melt it down and resell the product.
“That industry happens to be regulated,” she said referring to the state’s stringent laws regulating copper sales. “They have to have a registry [listing the original seller of the copper]. My office has sent out notices to copper wire resellers that we are watching,” she emphasized.
“We are going to be reviewing the registry and we are going to be coming after people who don’t play by the rules when they buy that wire.”
The city attorney has given equal scrutiny to operations in her office, which led her to create an Equity and Inclusion Division and appoint Special Assistant City Attorney Heather Aubry as equity officer. Aubry and her team of six lawyers serve as general counsel to the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, the Department on Disability, Economic and Workforce Development, and other equity-focused departments and commissions.
According to their website, “the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney recognizes the importance of acknowledging, facilitating and demonstrating the values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”). We are committed to harnessing the diversity of our employees — attorneys and legal professionals — to protect communities and serve constituents with integrity, fairness, and honesty, ensuring that programs and services are equally available to people of all backgrounds and identities, including people with disabilities.”
“We’re doing everything we need to do – developing training programs, not only for our own office, but across the city – to pick up the recruitment, the hiring, and the retention of a diverse workforce across all job classifications, not just lawyers,” said Feldstein Soto.
Summing up her tenure since taking office in December 2022, Feldstein Soto remains positive and greets each day with optimism.
“I do feel useful and it’s not a bad thing,” she concluded. “I feel as if I’m doing good and that one can’t ask for more than to be of service and to be useful and to be doing good for our city.”
