Louise Renne

Louise Renne is a lawyer, former Supervisor and one-time City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, California. She was born to Anne Bartrem Hornbeck (1909 - 2001). She succeeded to Dianne Feinstein's post upon Feinstein succeeding George Moscone as mayor in 1978, and Renne served in the seat until 1986, when she resigned to accept Feinstein's appointment of her as City Attorney, succeeding George Agnost to become the first female City Attorney in San Francisco history. She served in the position until 2001 and was succeeded by current incumbent Dennis Herrera.

Louise Renne
City Attorney of San Francisco
In office
1986 – December 11, 2001
Preceded byGeorge Agnost
Succeeded byDennis Herrera
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
EducationMichigan State University (B.A.)
Columbia University (J.D.)
ProfessionLawyer
Politician
Websitewww.sfcityattorney.org

Renne pioneered the model of public interest plaintiff coalitions composed of government agencies, individuals, and non-profit organizations during her 16-year tenure as San Francisco City Attorney. She is known for transforming the traditionally defense-oriented practice of municipal law by creating an affirmative litigation program that won significant victories for cities and counties in California.[1]

Renne is a founding partner at the law firm Renne Public Law Group LLP. She is a graduate of both Michigan State University and Columbia Law School (1961).[2]

Public interest cases

Some of the public interest cases Renne has directed include:

  • A certified national class action involving 250,000 victims, national and state putative class actions, and individual lawsuits involving elder financial abuse. These suits were brought on behalf of senior citizens against insurance companies, banks, and other entities for the sale of inappropriate annuity products to seniors.[3]
  • A lawsuit on behalf of African American employees in private industry for race discrimination, retaliation, and harassment.[4]
  • Numerous class-action suits brought on behalf of local public agencies against tobacco companies,[5] national banks,[6] gun manufacturers, auto insurers and escrow companies.[7]

Renne was part of the working group of lawyers that led settlement negotiations in Google parent company Alphabet's $310 million settlement in 2020 to resolve litigation related to sexual harassment and misconduct.[8] She also filed shareholder derivative lawsuits against the boards of several major corporations in 2020, including Oracle,[9] Pinterest,[10] Monster Beverage[11] and NortonLifeLock,[12] seeking to bring diversity to boardrooms and c-suites by holding the boards responsible for false and misleading statements about diversity in the companies’ proxy statements.

Laguna Honda Foundation

As City Attorney, Renne helped steer millions of dollars in tobacco settlement funds towards the Laguna Honda rebuild.[13] She also supported the 1999 bond measure which eventually paid for most of the rebuild.[14] Renne then formally established the Laguna Honda Foundation on October 8, 2003.[15] Claiming LH Foundation would raise "$30 + million for furniture, fixtures and equipment,"[16] Renne sought approval from the SF Health Commission in April 2004.[17]

Although the LH Foundation did hire an Executive Director on June 14, 2004,[18] in less than one year (May 19, 2005) Renne placed LH Foundation into suspension,[19] stating that there “was too much unrest to support any fundraising at this time.” Instead of raising funds for the hospital, Renne re-directed the Foundation “to proactively improve the image of LHH in the media and community.”[20]

There is no record of LH Foundation making any donations towards rebuilding Laguna Honda Hospital.[21] Critics charged that the main function of LH Foundation was to fund PR activities that inflated Renne's role in saving and re-building Laguna Honda.[22]

LH Foundation was active in public relations and marketing [23] including the renaming and re-branding of Laguna Honda Volunteers, Inc to adopt the name “Friends of Laguna Honda”.[22] Renne hired her former public relations aide at the City Attorney's office[24] to run PR for LH Foundation, the hospital and Laguna Honda Volunteers, Inc.[25] A public relations agency was hired,[26] and printed sidewalk banners were produced.[27] Much of the PR culminated in the organizing of a 2010 gala to commemorate the opening of the new Laguna Honda Hospital.[28] The gala feted Renne as the leader in the hospital's re-building.[29] Members of the original Committee to Save Laguna Honda were not part of the gala.

San Francisco's Health Commission initially lauded "the capable leadership of Louise Renne" in starting the Laguna Honda Foundation,[30] but soon became concerned with the function of LH Foundation since it started out claiming it would raise up to $40 million for Laguna Honda Hospital,[31] and repeatedly claimed it would pay for the hospital's furniture and equipment.[32] Instead, funding for the gala and other activities actually came from Laguna Honda Volunteers Inc, and even city government coffers.[22] SF Health Commissioners repeatedly asked for representation on the LH Foundation board of directors[33] to allow for more transparency, and also asked for an open accounting of LH Foundation's finances. However, they were rebuffed on both counts.[34]

After continued press scrutiny of LH Foundation and a reported investigation by the California Attorney General,[22] Renne shuttered the LH Foundation in 2013.[35] Laguna Honda Volunteers, Inc. continued to do business under the name Friends of Laguna Honda.[36]

References
  1. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-23-me-cityatty23-story.html
  2. "Louise H. Renne '61 Honored by Peers". August 2003.
  3. http://www.canhr.org/newsroom/rcfe_crisis/PDF/CANHR_2_8_05_Complaint_with.pdf
  4. https://abc7news.com/archive/6631423/
  5. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-07-mn-12618-story.html
  6. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB862529593724111500
  7. https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/louise-h-renne-61-honored-peers
  8. https://abc7news.com/google-sexual-harassment-gender-equality-lawsuit-being-sued/5050149/
  9. https://www.law360.com/articles/1291193/calif-firm-sues-oracle-again-over-lack-of-black-directors
  10. https://www.law360.com/articles/1333307/pinterest-shareholders-sue-over-discrimination-claims
  11. https://www.law360.com/articles/1311854/monster-s-white-execs-hit-with-derivative-suit-over-diversity
  12. https://www.law360.com/articles/1298820/nortonlifelock-investor-sues-over-lack-of-board-diversity
  13. Epstein, Edward (November 18, 1998). "Settlement Will Avert Hospital Bond / Cash found for Laguna Honda -- but not Muni". San Francisco Chronicle. SF Gate. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  14. "SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  15. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Thursday, October 23, 2003" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  16. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Thursday, January 23, 2003" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  17. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Thursday, March 25, 2004" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  18. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Thursday, June 26, 2003" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  19. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Monday, May 23, 2005" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  20. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Monday, November 28, 2005" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  21. Monette-Shaw, Patrick (December 2012). "A Foundation's Dirty Laundry" (PDF) (Volume 25, Number 10). Westside Observer. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  22. Monette-Shaw, Patrick (February 2013). "Laguna Honda's Continuing Scandals A Sordid Tale of Two Non-Profits". West Side Observer. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  23. Monette-Shaw, Patrick (May 2011). "Laguna Honda Commingling of Public and Private Funds" (PDF) (Volume 24, Number 4). Westside Observer. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  24. Lewis, Gregory (August 8, 1988). "50-50 split on tobacco monies". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  25. Noyes, Dan (May 25, 2010). "Hospital makes changes after I-Team investigation". KGO-TV 7 News. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  26. "OUR WORK +SEELAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION Step into the 21st century". mission-minded.com. Mission Minded. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  27. "ANNUAL REPORT laguna honda report annual 2012" (PDF). lagunahonda.org. Laguna Honda Hospital. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  28. "Laguna Honda Annual Report 2009-2010" (PDF). lagunahonda.org. Laguna Honda Hospital. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  29. Bigelow, Miss (June 30, 2010). "Gala marks Laguna Honda Hospital reopening". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  30. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Thursday, September 18, 2003" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  31. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Thursday, September 18, 2003" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  32. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  33. "JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL MEETING Monday, September 26, 2005" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  34. "https://www.sfdph.org/dph/hc/JCC/LHH/Minutes/JCCLHHM01232006.pdf" (PDF). sfdph.org. SF Dept. of Public Health. Retrieved 2 July 2018. External link in |title= (help)
  35. "Laguna Honda Foundation From 990-EZ" (PDF). erieri.com. Home About ERI Economic Research Institute. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  36. "Friends of Laguna Honda". Friends of Laguna Honda. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
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