In consultation with Denver City Council leadership and after a comprehensive internal and external search, Anshul Bagga from the City Attorney Office became the agency’s next legislative counsel, the CAO announced in a press release on Jan. 11. Bagga will transition into this new role on Feb. 1.
“Anshul is an excellent lawyer, dedicated public servant and valued member of our CAO team,” said City Attorney Kristin Bronson in the news release. “His contributions have made far-reaching impacts throughout the city, and we are excited to have Anshul at the helm of this important role, advising the legislative branch of city government.”
The legislative counsel serves as a legal advisor for the Denver City Council and manages CAO’s legislative priorities. This role also works closely with the Mayor’s legislative director and other members of the Mayor’s legislative affairs team.
“Being selected as the next legal advisor to Denver’s City Council is truly an honor,” Bagga said in the Jan. 11 release. “Above all else, I’m grateful to the CAO for allowing me to work alongside some of the most experienced and intelligent attorneys in the country. I very much look forward to representing one of Colorado’s most respected municipal legislatures.”
According to the news release, Bagga currently serves as an assistant director in the CAO’s prosecution and code enforcement section, supervising five teams of attorneys, including the mental health team, neighborhood prosecution, the marijuana unit, excise and licensing and real property nuisance abatement.
Bagga began his career with the CAO in 2014 when Denver authorized the first legal sales of recreational marijuana in the city. For the next several years, he played an instrumental role in establishing Denver’s cannabis regulatory system, eventually providing in-house counsel to the Department of Excise and Licenses on all business matters and taking on special projects, according to the news release.
The Jan. 11 release noted that through his local government background and understanding of Denver’s unique and diverse demographics, Bagga leaned into the opportunity to serve as the city’s point of contact for all cannabis-related issues. He collaborated with colleagues across the CAO on a broad range of topics, including analyzing and providing feedback to state legislation, drafting ordinances and responding to citizen complaints.
With the increasing demand to vacate low-level marijuana convictions, Bagga also supported Mayor Michael Hancock’s mission to promote equity in Denver through the city’s Turn Over a New Leaf program, according to the Jan. 11 news release. The program combines CAO, Department of Excise and Licenses and Denver District Attorney’s Office resources to mitigate the negative effects of low-level marijuana convictions obtained before legalization.
“City Council is pleased to welcome Anshul Bagga as our new Legislative Counsel,” said Council President Stacie Gilmore in the news release. “As we enter 2022, I look forward to closely working with him as council develops new legislation to address community needs in the coming months.”
According to the Jan. 11 release, Bagga’s career includes litigating civil and administrative appeals in the Denver District Court, the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court. He received his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School and his B.A. in Sociology from Colorado State University.