Placer County appoints new county counsel

The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the appointment of Clayton Cook as county counsel during its meeting Tuesday. Cook's appointment follows current County Counsel Karin Schwab's announcement of retirement, which will be effective May 1, the staff report notes. According to the county, Schwab joined Placer in 2006 and has served as county counsel, the first woman to hold the position in the county's 175-year history, since 2019. The item was part of the board's consent agenda but was pulled by Board Chair Shanti Landon. "I feel like we are super fortunate to have him as our county counsel and he just brings some really fresh energy," she said. "He's thoughtful. He is deliberate and he is going to be an incredible addition to the team." District 4 Supervisor Suzanne Jones added, "I would just like to let everybody know that when we did our interview, it was amazing the variety and the expanse of his experience, and so I'm really confident that we have a very good, excellent counselor on board …" The board approved Cook's appointment in a unanimous vote, which was followed by applause. "I want to express my sincerest gratitude for your faith, trusting me with this position and the responsibilities of it," Cook said. "Since I started with the county 12 years ago, my goal has been to sit in this seat, so it is quite surreal to be here. I am very, very excited to lead an amazing, incredible team … and to continue to work with the exceptional employees throughout the county. It is truly a dream come true to be here. So with that, I look forward to defending and protecting this county, the board, the employees and making our county counsel's office one of the best in the entire state." According to the county, Cook joined Placer in 2014 and has served as the assistant county counsel since March 2025. Cook has also served as the lead counsel for the Planning Commission, Clerk-Recorder-Elections office, District Attorney's Office, Probation Department and the past two Charter Review Committees. Cook earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Sonoma State University and his juris doctor from Rutgers Law School. The staff report notes Cook's appointment is for a four-year term, beginning May 2.