First published in the Oct. 2 print issue of the Burbank Leader.
Amy Albano, the city of Burbank’s lead attorney for the past decade and the first woman to hold that position, confirmed this week that she will retire in November.
Albano told the Leader in an interview that her last day as Burbank’s city attorney is Nov. 10. Since being hired to the role in October 2011, Albano has served as the top legal adviser to the City Council and, along with her staff, represented the municipality in court. The city has not made an announcement regarding Albano’s successor, who will be selected by the council (city attorney and city manager are the only two positions that the group appoints directly).
“It was very bittersweet,” Albano said of her decision to retire. “I’ve been with the city of Burbank for 10 years. … It’s definitely time. The pandemic has taken a lot out of all of us [but] I felt it was important [to be here].”
As city attorney, Albano has worked a number of Burbank’s high-profile legal cases. Recent examples have included ongoing litigation with Tinhorn Flats Saloon and Grill over rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s court battle over Measure RC, a rent-control proposal that was defeated at the polls. As a new hire, Albano oversaw the city’s response to several lawsuits involving the Burbank Police Department in the early 2010s.
She has frequently served as a consultant for council members regarding legal questions related to everything from elections to state legislation, and she’s often the one to remind members to avoid discussing matters not on their meeting agenda.
“Burbank City Attorney Amy Albano is not just called ‘Top Lawyer’ by our mayor [Bob Frutos] for no reason,” City Manager Justin Hess said in a statement. “Over the past 10 years, she has served the Burbank community well, helping to make sense of complex and contentious issues as well as assisting us through the last two years of COVID. Amy’s professionalism, knowledge and ability to think strategically will be missed and we wish her a long and wonderful retirement.”
Prior to her tenure at City Hall, Albano worked as the city attorney for Thousand Oaks for about seven years. Before that, she was an attorney for Ventura, where she said she worked her way up through the ranks of the city attorney’s office for roughly 14 years.
Albano said she’s grateful for the members of her staff, noting that being a city attorney is impossible without a good team.
“I feel like [Burbank is] being left in good hands,” she said. “I’m very honored that I was able to serve the community for 10 years and all that we did in that time.”
