Maria Bee has over twenty–five years of experience in the legal community, both as a practicing attorney and fighting for justice for the most vulnerable populations. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, and Berkeley Law School, Ms. Bee’s commitment to justice in the Bay Area has led her to various positions within the San Francisco and Oakland communities.

Maria is the Chief Assistant City Attorney for the Oakland City Attorney’s Office. In this capacity, she oversees the General and Complex Litigation Division and the Affirmative Litigation, Enforcement and Innovation Division. The General and Complex Litigation Division includes the general and complex (defense) unit, law and motion, writs and appeals, and claims units. The Affirmative Litigation Division includes the Neighborhood Law Corps, Community Lawyering and Civil Rights units that focus on injustices that often disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, Latina/o/x, Asian / Pacific Islander, and other historically and/or presently marginalized communities, and the Housing Justice Initiative.

Before taking this post, Ms. Bee served as the Chief of the Victim Services Division of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she was responsible for providing critical services to victims of crime in San Francisco.

Ms. Bee is a member of the Charles Houston Bar Association and serves on the board of the Alameda County Bar Association. She formerly chaired the Alameda County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service committee and served as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of La Casa de Las Madres, an advocacy program for survivors of domestic violence.