The Carlsbad City Council announced Tuesday that Cindie McMahon will be Carlsbad’s next City Attorney, effective Aug. 2. McMahon, who currently serves as Assistant City Attorney, succeeds Celia A. Brewer, who announced her retirement in April.
“Ms. McMahon’s professionalism and utter command of the many complex laws affecting cities like Carlsbad made her the City Council’s unanimous choice among a pool of very qualified candidates,” said City of Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall. “She clearly has a passion for public service, and that comes across in everything she does.”
The City Council voted to appoint McMahon in a closed session meeting July 12. The City Attorney is one of two positions appointed directly by the City Council. The City Manager is the other.
McMahon is no stranger to Carlsbad, having served as Deputy City Attorney from 2000 to 2003, following a tenure in the same position for the City of Escondido from 1998 to 1999. From 2005 to 2019, McMahon worked for the state of California’s appellate court, in the division covering San Diego and Imperial counties. The state appellate court system hears all appeals of lower court cases before they can be appealed to the state Supreme Court.
During her time working for the court, McMahon prepared opinions for the Administrative Presiding Justice in civil, criminal, juvenile and other cases, including cases involving public agency land use, tort, employment, labor relations, retirement, open meeting and conflict of interest issues.
In 2019, McMahon was named Assistant City Attorney for the City of Carlsbad, where for the past three years she has worked with city departments and leadership on a variety of legal issues, as well as serving as Acting City Attorney when needed. She also managed the city’s civil litigation, including determining legal strategies and representing the city in mediations and settlement conferences.
“I am looking forward to working with the City Council and city staff in this new role,” said McMahon. “Carlsbad is a great city. Being named City Attorney almost 20 years after I first worked for Carlsbad is truly an honor and a privilege.”
A Carlsbad resident, McMahon graduated Magna Cum Laude from California Western School of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business and management from the University of Redlands.
