County may see new laywer

Napa County CEO Minh Tran could replace Greg Priamos as county counsel

Riverside County might have found a replacement for County Counsel Greg Priamos.

An item posted Thursday as part of the Board of Supervisors’ Tuesday meeting agenda included a four-year contract for Napa County CEO Minh Tran to become Riverside County’s top lawyer.

The item was later pulled from the agenda. County spokesperson Brooke Federico said via email that the county “will announce the appointment of a new county counsel” ahead of the board’s Aug. 2 meeting.

“Until that time, no additional information is available regarding the selection,” she added.

The county counsel’s office, which has more than 50 attorneys and a roughly $7 million budget, advises the board on legal matters and represents county government in court. It also handles legal work for agencies such as the Public Guardian, which looks after adults who are unable to manage their own affairs, and code enforcement.

According to the documents pulled from the agenda and Napa County’s website, Tran, was chosen after a nationwide search, worked as a deputy county counsel in Riverside County for eight years before going to Napa County in 2009. There, he served as assistant county counsel, county counsel and eventually CEO.

An offer letter to Tran dated June 10 gives him a $285,000 salary, a $550 monthly car allowance, 80 hours vacation to start and $10,000 to cover moving expenses. As a county employee, Tran would also be eligible for a public pension.

Priamos, who had been county counsel since 2014, abruptly retired in March.

His tenure included clashes with civil grand juries, one of which accused Priamos in 2015 of interfering in its work. Priamos said the jury misunderstood his role and its own powers.