Janet Kern Named as Alameda's City Attorney

Janet C. Kern is scheduled to start work Monday, Jan. 9, as Alameda's new city attorney, filling the slot that has been vacant since the departure of Theresa Highsmith last spring.

The Alameda City Council approved a three-year contract with Kern at its Jan. 3 meeting. The contract provides for an annual salary of $190,000; 25 days of vacation per year; a minimum monthly auto allowance of $250; and benefits equivalent to those of other city department heads.

Before coming to Alameda, Kerr was deputy executive director for the City of San Jose Redevelopment Agency for three years. Prior to that, she was the city attorney for Morgan Hill for over two years and senior associate counsel with the City of San Jose for over eight years.

She has been a member of the California Bar Association since 1991 and earned her J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law in 1984.

The city conducted two rounds of recruitment for the city attorney's post, starting in June and October of 2011. Kern was chosen from a field of 31 applicants in the latest round.