Kathryn E. Meola

Kathryn Meola provides legal representation and general counsel advice to public agencies, community college districts, K-12 school districts and county offices of education in all aspects of labor and employment matters, Board governance, open meeting laws, ethics and conflicts of interest, California public records act requests, labor negotiations, PERB hearings, arbitration hearings, administrative hearings, certificated and classified layoffs, certificated dismissal hearings and civil litigation. Ms. Meola also practices special education, 504 hearings, and due process hearings. 

Prior to joining AALRR, Ms. Meola was General Counsel and Director of its Education Legal Alliance (ELA) for the California School Boards Association (CSBA). She was the first woman to serve as General Counsel in the organization’s 88-year history. As General Counsel, Ms. Meola provided legal counsel to CSBA’s leadership and led the ELA, a consortium of school districts, county offices of education and regional occupational centers/programs that pooled resources to pursue and defend public education interests in the courts and before state agencies.

Prior to joining CSBA, Ms. Meola was a Chief Deputy County Counsel in San Mateo County where she served as general counsel for the San Mateo Community College District and the County Superintendent of Schools along with several other school districts in the County. In addition, Ms. Meola supervised the County’s public safety departments, and led the County's School Deputy and Special Education Deputy teams. In this role, she also conducted ten certificated dismissal hearings, special education due process hearings and layoff administrative hearings.

Prior to the County Counsel’s Office, she was a Deputy District Attorney for 12 years where she prosecuted homicide, sexual assault and domestic violence cases and conducted 53 jury trials to verdict and handled hundreds of court trials and preliminary hearings.

Honors & Recognitions

2005, San Mateo County Employee of the Year
1994, recipient of the Joseph P. Busch Criminal Justice Award

• Co-counsel defending civil litigation matter in a $114 million claimed damages resulting from breach of contract and FCC auction;
• Co-counsel in the initiation of a Consumer Choice Aggregation (“CCA”), resulting in a new public entity formation (Joint Powers Agreement), Peninsula Clean Energy (“PCE”) comprised of all Cities within the Peninsula, along with San Mateo County (2015-2016);
• Integral in the initiation of a County-wide Coalition of Safe and Supportive Schools and Communities, led by Congresswoman Jackie Speier, by creating the “Big Five” Coordinated emergency response for law enforcement, schools and public agencies and drafting a Memorandum of Understanding for Information Sharing (2013-2016);
• Plaintiff v. County of San Mateo (2012) USDC 12-CV-02148-JST – § 1983 cause of action for excessive force alleged against San Mateo County Sheriff’s staff when Plaintiff was placed in custody following an arrest for Successful resolution was reached after filing a Motion for Summary Judgment.
• Plaintiff v. County of San Mateo (2010)  Superior Court, #483706, employee alleged wrongful termination, harassment and discrimination claim, settled with a §998 offer of compromise.

Practice Areas

Community & Professional

• Women Lawyers of Sacramento, President, 2024
• Civil Service Board, City of Sacramento, Chair, 2023-2024
• Planning Commissioner, City of Belmont, 2017-2019
• San Mateo County Charter Review Committee, Advisor, 2017
• State of California Special  Education  Advisory Committee, Committee  Member, 2016-2018