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UPDATED: City Attorney Summers Resigns; Councilwoman Rule Agrees to Mediation

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Andra Belknap
Jun 19, 2025
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Hey folks — Before noon on June 19th, Ojai City Attorney Matthew Summers wrote a letter to the Ojai City Council, subject line “Resignation Letter as City Attorney.”

Summers confirmed that his firm, Colutano, Highsmith, Whatley, will not respond to the City latest “request for qualifications” (RFQ) for legal services. Summers began work with the City of Ojai in February 2015 as Interim City Attorney. He was promoted to the position of City Attorney in August 2015, he said.

Summers, left, with Ojai City Manager Ben Harvey.

Readers can find Summers’ letter below. In it, he disclosed that he lost his southern California home in the Eaton Fire, and has since relocated to the Bay Area.

“Going through the fire is definitely something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Thankfully, my cats and I survived, and that’s the key!” He said via email.

Summers Resignation As Ojai City Attorney(402273
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Summers’ decade in the City Attorney’s Office was marked by increasing legal costs. Take a look:

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