San Jose officials have chosen Sacramento City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood to replace retiring City Attorney Nora Frimann.
The City Council selected Wood in closed session Tuesday to help advise and defend new city laws. She’s the third woman city attorney in San Jose history after Frimann, who is stepping down after five years in the role.
San José Spotlight first reported on Frimann’s retirement earlier this month — with Mayor Matt Mahan taking the lead on vetting candidates through rounds of closed-door interviews.
“Sometimes, the biggest levers we have for action come out of the courtroom,” Mahan said in a statement announcing Wood’s appointment. “As we work to tackle the issues our residents care about the most, we need a champion willing to think outside of the box on homelessness, public safety and housing. After getting to know her, I believe Susana is that champion for change.”
Wood has worked in various city attorney offices across the state including Modesto, Stockton and most recently Sacramento, according to a city news release. Wood is also president of the city attorney’s department for the League of California Cities and president-elect of the International Municipal Lawyers Association, and serves on the Attorney General’s Statewide Reproductive Rights Task Force since 2022.
“San Jose is a big city with big challenges — challenges that I am looking forward to tackling,” Wood said in the news release. “It’s a city that has always been on the forefront of innovation both inside and outside of city government and I’m excited to continue that legacy from the City Attorney’s office.”
At a news conference at City Hall, Mahan cited Wood’s public dispute with Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho, who sued Sacramento last September demanding the city crack down on homeless encampments, as a reason for picking her.
“I was really impressed with a number of things about Susana — just being her wealth of experience serving in different cities, grappling with the challenges that big cities face, her handling of tough issues, having her city sued by a DA and ultimately guiding the city to a really productive outcome there,” Mahan said.
Wood could be tasked with advising and defending the policy path Mahan is charting on homelessness and government accountability.
“I’m lucky to be inheriting a fantastic, top notch legal team, so getting to understand exactly what the city council is looking to focus on is definitely my top priority,” Wood said.
Story updated Aug. 26 at 1:16 p.m. Original story published Aug. 26 at 12:27 p.m.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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