South Lake Tahoe appoints new city attorney

South Lake Tahoe has appointed Thomas Watson to serve as its city attorney. He begins work July 8.

“Tom Watson was the obvious selection as our new City Attorney based on his extensive experience as City Attorney for the cities of Visalia, Porterville, Lindsay, Farmersville, Mendota and Woodlake,” said South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tom Davis in a news release. “We are very pleased to have a highly qualified, experienced, and seasoned professional join our team and we welcome Tom to our city.”

Watson has served in numerous governmental capacities since 1989. He is a graduate of Santa Clara University and is a specialist in construction litigation, Watson joined the Fresno law firm of Kimble, MacMichael & Upton upon completion of an internship with the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals. After three years with KMU, Watson joined the Tulare County Counsel’s office, obtaining expertise in governmental construction and entitlements, which resulted in his serving as LAFCO counsel for the County.

In 2002, Watson left Tulare County to establish his current firm, Fike, Boranian & Watson. In 2005, he was appointed as a Judge Pro Tem for the Office of Administrative Services, a judicial arm of the State of California. Since 2008, he has served as the city attorney for Mendota and has been Woodlake’s city attorney for more than 16 years.

Passionate for the legal profession, Watson conducted seminars and classes about legal issues and processes in six countries on four continents. Continually engaged in legal education, he has served as a judge for international legal competitions in the United States, Europe and China. Watson is married to Dr. Jennifer Watson, EdD and they have two children.