San Diego County could soon have a new top lawyer. His resume includes investigating it.

A top lieutenant of California Attorney General Rob Bonta could be the next leader of San Diego County’s legal office.

The Democratic-controlled Board of Supervisors has tapped special Assistant Attorney General Damon Brown to serve as county counsel, filling a critical position that has been vacant since the former county counsel was pushed out in July.

A senior adviser to Bonta since 2021, Brown has run point for the attorney general on a host of social and legal issues, including civil rights, immigration, voting rights and consumer protection.

Prior to joining the attorney general’s office, Brown served as Compton city attorney. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree in political science and African American studies from UC Berkeley.

Supervisors will vote on Brown’s nomination, which requires a three-vote majority, next Tuesday. If confirmed, he’ll be paid $380,000 annually.

In an interview, Brown said he’s eager to take on the challenges and opportunities of working in a new community. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll be able to take it on and meet the moment,” he said.

Through his career, he said he’s taken on problems that impact people’s lives at every level of government,

“Being able to take the authority that I have and being able to create solutions and different paths toward justice and equity — that’s what I’m really looking forward to doing at the local level,” he said.

With a $51 million budget and about 200 staffers, the county counsel’s office advises the Board of Supervisors and the county’s many departments and agencies on complex legal challenges. It also often represents them in court.

Some of San Diego County’s most pressing legal issues have crossed over into Brown’s work for the state.

In May, the attorney general’s office opened an investigation into the county’s juvenile halls, probing whether or not any “unlawful activity or practices” occurred in the facilities.

Brown said he worked on the investigation into the county’s probation department. “If I’m in the (county counsel) role, I’d be able to guide the county through that,” Brown said.

In addition, the county faces hundreds of lawsuits from people who say they were abused by staff in county foster care and juvenile hall facilities — litigation brought under a state law that reopened the statute of limitations to let alleged sexual abuse victims sue public agencies over it.

Such cases have been costly for public agencies, which have struggled to defend themselves against decades-old abuse claims. Last year, Los Angeles County made a $4 billion payout to resolve claims from thousands of victims alleging abuse that dated back to the 1950s.

Beyond that, the county continues to face a considerable crush of lawsuits over its jail system. A class-action lawsuit over conditions behind bars is moving toward trial, with a federal judge in August refusing to dismiss key parts of the case.

Taxpayer-funded payouts to the families of those who have died in county custody continue to mount, too.

In October, the county inked its biggest jail-death settlement yet, with $16 million to the family of Hayden Schuck, who died in custody at the age of 22. And data shows annual payments by the Sheriff’s Office into the public liability fund — the pool of money used to cover claims against the county — have more than quintupled in a decade.

Brown has worked on police oversight before and said he intends “to be able to assist the sheriff and the county Board of Supervisors in taking actions to address some of those liability points.”

“I’ll certainly position my client to give them the best legal advice to make the best decisions that would preserve and conserve resources and tax dollars,” he said.

The office of county counsel has been without permanent leadership since Claudia Silva abruptly resigned after a last-minute performance evaluation the day after Democrats retook control of the board.

A severance agreement Silva signed with the county saw her paid $535,000 — about a year and a half’s pay — in exchange for releasing any claims and not pursuing any legal action against the county. Chief Information Officer David Smith has served as acting county counsel during the search for her successor.

“The county prioritized transparency, experience and integrity throughout the process to fill this integral role within our legal operations,” Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said in a statement announcing Brown’s nominatioon. “We are pleased to move forward with leadership that embodies those principles and brings substantial expertise.”