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# Santa Monica Lawyers need to give back
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-lawyers-need-to-give-back-editor/
- Published: 2008-01-23T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T18:07:04.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Robert Donin*

All across the state, people are rightfully upset about the proposed budget cuts to education. However, in addition to budget cuts, there is another cost eating into our school’s budgets; not one we hear about often: The cost of litigation.

California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) recently reported that three of California’s largest school districts — Los Angeles, San Diego and Elk Grove Unified — spent a combined $32.8 million on outside counsel, verdicts and settlements in just one fiscal year.

Imagine what is being spent statewide! A large portion of this money is going to attorneys — both those representing the districts and those who are suing them. Surely we can all agree that this money would be better off going to support students in classrooms, not lawyers in courtrooms.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 23, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012308.pdf?ref=smdp.com)