PRASANNA RASIAH IS NEW SAN MATEO CITY ATTORNEY

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“Prasanna Rasiah is a great candidate and San Mateo is a wonderful City to work with!”

That is the summary from Senior Recruiter Suzanne Mason, responding to today’s news that the San Mateo City Council formally appointed Rasiah as new City Attorney at last night’s public meeting. He will replace retiring City Attorney Shawn Mason (no relation).

Suzanne Mason managed the recruitment for our TBC team, an extensive and wide-ranging search that ended practically in the neighborhood: Rasiah and his family live in San Carlos, just down the San Francisco Bay Peninsula from San Mateo.

“San Mateo is a dynamic city in the midst of a multi-year General Plan update, major infrastructure improvement projects and providing high-quality services to the community,” said Mayor Eric Rodriguez. “We need a thoughtful, strong legal expert and I’m thrilled we were able to recruit Prasanna Rasiah to join our team. His enthusiasm and experience will serve our community well during these evolving times.”

Rasiah has spent the last four years with Redwood City where he is currently the senior assistant city attorney and has expertise in municipal land use law, as well as stepping up with legal assistance to the City’s COVID-19 emergency response. He also spent 11 years with the City of Fremont and five years with the City of Berkeley. He has worked on a variety of municipal issues including telecommunications law, health-related laws, campaign finance and elections law, environmental review, and conflicts of interest. His primary focus over the last 8 years has been in land use, including extensive work with General Plan and zoning code updates as well as development projects.

Rasiah is expected to begin his new position in May, managing the Office’s budget of $3.3 million, three assistant city attorneys and an executive assistant.

“I am very excited to join this innovative and dynamic organization. I have been very impressed by the leadership of the City Council, city manager and the executive team, and I look forward to assisting San Mateo as it faces a variety of challenges as well as opportunities,” Rasiah said.

Rasiah has his juris doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law , where he also worked as executive editor for the school’s international and comparative law review. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Wesleyan University.

Congratulations to both the City and to Prasanna Rasiah!

Here is what the Peninsula Daily Journal had to say