Former Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer is now a senior policy advisor at Inner City Law Center (ICLC), a Skid Row-based nonprofit law firm that offers free legal services to the unhoused, according to two staff members and internal emails reviewed by L.A. TACO.
“I am pleased to share the exciting news that Mike Feuer will be joining the ICLC’s public policy team on a half-time basis as a Senior Policy Advisor,” Chief Executive Officer Adam Murray told staff in an October 31 email. The email states that Feuer’s official start date was Monday, December 2.
“When you get a chance, please introduce yourself and welcome Mike to ICLC,” Murray encouraged.
The news of Feuer’s hiring confused and angered some ICLC staff members.
“How does a legal aid organization meant to serve folks who are unhoused hire this person?,” An outraged staffer who requested anonymity out of fear of losing their job told L.A. TACO during an interview. “His work history is more than enough to disqualify [him], but being under FBI investigation?”
The staffer added that ICLC receives “government contracts and some of the legal work that attorneys here do is help people who were harmed by things that were put in motion by Mike Feuer.”
As Los Angeles city attorney, Feuer’s office was responsible for prosecuting people for violating LAMC 41.18, a controversial city law that restricts where people can sit, sleep, and store property on city sidewalks. As well as SEC. 56.11, another controversial city law that allows the city to confiscate and destroy unhoused people’s property during sanitation “sweeps.”
During Feuer’s tenure, more than 30,000 people were arrested by LAPD for violating 41.18, according to an analysis of data by City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office. Arrests dropped dramatically in 2018 after a 9th Circuit judge barred cities from enforcing anti-camping laws without offering adequate shelter.
Feuer became known as the “architect of 41.18” due to his role in drafting the proposal to amend 41.18, in an effort to come in compliance with the 9th Circuit ruling. In 2022, the city council approved the amended ordinance, which expanded 41.18 restrictions to schools, daycares, and other “sensitive sites,” resulting in thousands of arrests in recent years.
During his time as city attorney and his failed run for mayor of Los Angeles, Feuer also faced criminal allegations of his own.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Feuer was accused of lying to federal investigators and likely obstructing justice during a sprawling federal inquiry into a lawsuit involving exorbitant Department of Water and Power bills.
“Multiple sources of evidence provide probable cause to believe that Feuer obstructed justice [and] made materially misleading statements to the FBI,” according to an affidavit written by FBI Special Agent Andrew Civetti, as reported by the L.A. Times.
Feuer has long denied the allegations.
Another ICLC staff member who also requested anonymity out of fear of compromising their job said they were stunned when they first heard that they were going to be working with Feuer.
“I saw it and thought, this can not be that Mike Feuer,” the source said during an interview with L.A. TACO. “Anyone who is familiar with homeless issues in L.A. knows him as kind of a central villain.”
The staffer pointed out that one service that ICLC provides is “a vital document clinic” for unhoused people that have lost IDs, social security cards, birth certificates, and other documentation that they need in order to get healthcare and housing.
“The majority of clients lost those things during a sweep or during an arrest,” the staff member said. “We have to help them with the first step of getting those documents because of Mike Feuer’s policies.”
“My feeling is that as an attorney, my day to day job is to work with clients, and develop trust, and I feel like calling them from a place that has Mike Feuer on staff actively harms my ability to do that,” the staffer said. “My hope would be for Mike Feuer to understand that he’s not really welcome at ICLC, even if [Murray] doesn’t have the same politics as the majority of the employees.”
In a statement to L.A. TACO, Pete White, founder and executive director at the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN), a Skid Row-based nonprofit that has partnered with ICLC in the past, said that “Mike Feuer's new tour of duty at ICLC should be viewed with suspicion.”
“While it is general knowledge that he once headed [non-profit law firm] Bet Tzedek, his new job appears aimed at giving his lackluster and controversial tenure heading the City Attorney’s office a bit of shine,” White said. “He cared very little about Skid Row, Black, and poor people while in office, his new job will not change that, and community will not tolerate his presence.”
Kate Willis, a board member and policy committee chair for Ktown For All, a volunteer-led mutual aid organization, said in a statement:
"Both as a former city council member and city attorney, Mike Feuer traded housing victories for aggressive criminalization, and there's no indication he has changed his tune or that he will improve the lives of our unhoused neighbors. I trust staff and volunteers working on the ground first and foremost."
Nearly a month after announcing Feuer’s hiring, Murray sent out a defensive, 1,900+ word email responding to concerns from staff.
“Thanks to everyone who reached out directly to me or provided comments in the Anonymous Feedback Box about Mike Feuer joining Inner City Law Center,” Murray wrote. “Some of you expressed excitement about Mike’s addition to our Policy Advocacy team. Some of you also expressed concerns about some of the positions that Mike took while he was City Attorney.”
In the email, Murray details Feuer’s accomplishments at Bet Tzedek, another Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides free legal services for low-income people, where he served as executive director from 1986 to 1994.
He also highlights Feuer’s role in establishing the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act—during his time in the state assembly—which requires legal counsel to be appointed to represent low-income parties in some civil matters.
He also notes that, as city attorney, Feuer created a program to remove outstanding fines, citations, and warrants for people experiencing homelessness.
“Whether via creating the Shriver Program, supporting the creation of SCEP, or supporting rent control, throughout his career, Mike has been at the forefront of promoting tenants’ rights—and this was at a time when tenants’ rights were much less popular with the electorate and with elected officials than they are today,” Murray asserted.
Feuer’s history with ICLC dates back more than a decade. In 2014, ICLC honored him with their Katharine Krause Award “for his creation of the Shriver project and his lawsuits regarding hospital dumping.”
“Does this mean that Mike has always been aligned with ICLC? Absolutely not,” Murray wrote. “There are multiple issues where we have not agreed with him. In particular, as City Attorney he took positions with respect to street encampments that are not aligned with ICLC’s positions. However, when you assess his positions, I encourage you to keep in mind his role as an elected official representing the City Council and the entire city.”
Murray noted that in his role as senior policy advisor, Feuer “is prohibited from working on any matters in which he was substantially involved during his time as City Attorney or while on the Council.”
Murray sees Feuer being an integral part of strengthening the “policy side” of ICLC’s “advocacy.”
“Our Policy Advocacy Team is the best in town at understanding housing and homelessness policy and knowing how it needs to change to benefit our clients… But we, including myself, are not as strong on the politics side of our advocacy,” Murray wrote.
“I am hoping that Mike will strengthen this aspect of our team,” Murray asserted. “He has an unparalleled understanding of how to get things done in a political setting—especially at the City and State level. He knows how to effectively shepherd a policy through the legislative process. He has sat in many of the most relevant roles. He understands the process and deeply understands what motivates the decision makers whom we need to influence on behalf of our clients.”
When reached for comment, Murray declined to answer questions about ICLC’s hiring and vetting process. In a brief statement, the chief executive officer told L.A. TACO: “We are pleased that Mike has joined Inner City Law Center as a half-time Senior Policy Advisor. We are excited to have someone with Mike’s deep knowledge of housing issues and understanding of the legislative process on the team.”
Both anonymous staff members that we spoke to pointed out that Murray’s email does not specifically address the harms that 41.18 and 56.11 have done to their clients.
And it makes no mention of the FBI investigation into the DWP scandal and the allegations that Feuer lied to federal investigators and likely obstructed justice.
“That email basically says that he’s here because he’s an insider,” one of the employees said.
“What was most interesting to me was that there was obviously enough push back that he felt the need to send the email,” the other anonymous staff member said.
Internally there have been rumors going around that Feuer was hired because he and Murray are friends, the source said.
“He’s a failed politician and is looking to get back into the nonprofit world. Especially since it’s part-time, it really feels like a favor for a friend.”
