Mara Elliott

Mara, the former Chief Deputy City Attorney for the city of San Diego, ran and won her race for City Attorney in 2016. She is the first woman to serve as City Attorney in San Diego.

As Chief Deputy City Attorney, Mara Elliott led the City’s legal team responsible for reforming city contracting practices, strengthening city audits and enforcing environmental protection laws.  Mara advised the City’s influential and independent Audit Committee and the City Council’s Committee on the Environment.

Previously, Mara served as general counsel to community college and K-12 school districts as well as counsel to the County of San Diego and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board.  Mara serves on the League of California Cities’ Public Records Act Committee and was an editor of the California Municipal Law Handbook.

A long-time community leader, Mara Elliott chairs a committee of the San Diego Lawyers Club working to advance the status of women in law.  A public-school parent, Mara is a leader on her sons’ local School Site Council.  Mara Elliott also serves as trustee of the San Diego County Law Library and was recently honored as Advocate of the Year for her work for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

In November 2016, Mara won 57% of the vote in the San Diego city attorney race, defeating Republican Robert Hickey. As the San Diego City Attorney, Mara plans to save taxpayers money, strengthen protections for seniors and kids, increase neighborhood safety, and prosecute illegal pollution.