Nedra Jenkins (June 2008 – Present)
Commissioner Nedra Jenkins is a Principal Deputy County Counsel for Los Angeles. She is a 1994 Graduate of the UCLA School of Law and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and Master of Arts degree in social science in 1991 through a joint degree program from the University of Chicago.
During her legal career, Commissioner Jenkins has successfully handled a diverse array of cases, from dependency law for the Department of Children and Family Services to employment law and complex construction contract litigation for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). She began her legal career by clerking in the Criminal Appeals Section of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. She also fought child abuse for three years while working as a trial attorney in the Edelman Children’s Court.
Since 1999, Commissioner Jenkins has
represented Metro in employment and breach-of-contract cases. In 2001,
she obtained rarely awarded defense attorney fees and costs in the amount
of $191,000 for successfully defending a Fair Employment and Housing
Act retaliation lawsuit. She has also enforced the California False
Claims Act by pursuing contractors and subcontractors who submitted
false claims and records for payment. In August 2008, she successfully
obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $606,767 against a former Metro
contract administration director for violation of Public Utilities Code
§ 130051.20, conversion, misappropriation of documents, and fraudulent
inducement of employment.
Commissioner Jenkins was recognized as one of Southern California’s rising stars in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 by Law & Politics magazine and the publishers of Los Angeles magazine—the only attorney in the Office of the County Counsel to be awarded that recognition. She has also been recognized in Who’s Who Among African-Americans and Who’s Who in Black Los Angeles as a result of her outstanding legal work and community service. In 2005, she received the Distinguished Woman Award from the Pasadena Chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction.
Commissioner Jenkins has also provided leadership to various community service organizations, which highlights her commitment to giving back to the Los Angeles community. Since 1994, she has been actively involved with the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Inc (BWL) and, as its 2003-2004 president, helped spearhead the adoption of four deserving families who received mentoring, financial support, school supplies, and scholarship money. Since 1997, she has advocated against domestic violence as a board member, and the 2005-2006 president, of the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. She is also a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.
Commissioner Jenkins was appointed to the Ethics Commission in June 2008 by City Controller Laura Chick. Her five-year term will end in June 2013.
