Llanes' last day will be Sept. 29.
After more than two decades representing the City of Boulder, Deputy City Attorney and one-time Interim City Attorney Sandra Llanes has announced she has accepted a position as the City Attorney for her hometown of Golden, Colo. In her new role, Llanes will be creating Golden’s first in-house legal team.
Llanes’ career in Boulder started in 2002 when she was hired as a municipal prosecutor. Prior to that she worked as a Deputy County Attorney for Maricopa County Attorney’s Office near Phoenix and clerked for the Honorable Daniel A. Barker with the Arizona Superior Court.
During her tenure, Llanes rose in positions of leadership and responsibility. Most recently, she served as the lead attorney on the annexation of CU South, the Safe and Managed Public Spaces team, the permanent outdoor dining licensing program, the University Hill Revitalization Working Group, COVID response and recovery efforts and on the Access Management and Parking Strategy project team.
“Sandra has been a tremendous partner to me and leader here in the City of Boulder,” City Attorney Teresa Taylor Tate said, “and she will be incredibly missed. I am very proud to see her take this next step in her career and can’t think of anyone better qualified to help our neighboring city of Golden create a top-notch city attorney’s office.”
Llanes has been recognized three times by her Boulder colleagues for modeling the core values of collaboration and respect. Llanes also was honored in 2021 as Outstanding Deputy City Attorney by the Metro City Attorney Association and as a finalist for the Colorado Women's Day Unsung Heroine Award.
Llanes serves as a member of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, the Colorado’s Women’s Bar Association, and the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association. She has been a key contributor to Boulder’s work to advance racial equity in city policies, practices, and structures.
Llanes earned her J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder and a B.A in International Affairs and Communication from the University of Colorado at Denver.
From May to December 2021, Llanes served as Interim City Attorney, and stepped in as co-Acting City Attorney for several months earlier this year while Taylor Tate was on leave.
Llanes called her decision to leave Boulder “bittersweet” and thanked city colleagues for their many years of support.
“I remain deeply indebted to everyone at Boulder for molding my journey and instilling in me the values of humble leadership, unwavering excellence in service, and the importance of teamwork. As I set my sights on the City of Golden, I carry forward these invaluable lessons,” she said.
Llanes’ last day will be Friday, September 29.
Taylor Tate said this week that she will be working on a transition team, in collaboration with staff in her office and city leadership.