New City Attorney Appointed in Pleasanton

Announcement submitted by City of Pleasanton:

Mayor Jerry Thorne today announced the appointment of Daniel Sodergren to the position of City Attorney for Pleasanton.

“I am pleased to announce Daniel Sodergren as our new City Attorney. Dan has a long and successful track record in the field of municipal law, with a particular emphasis on issues related to land use. Of particular value to our community is the fact that he has been a Pleasanton resident for a number of years,” Thorne said.

Sodergren has close to 30 years of legal experience, most of which has been in local government. He currently serves as the City Attorney for the city of Tracy, where he has worked for the past 11 years. While there, Sodergren developed and managed a team of legal talent with a practice active in a range of local government issues, many having to do with development and land use.

Sodergren has also been responsible for all litigation and providing legal advice to the City Council, including but not limited to those related to planning, land use, CEQA, initiatives, elections and utilities. Tracy is a full-service city with 86,000 residents, a General Fund of $50 million and 464 employees.

“Being a resident of Pleasanton has enabled Dan to witness firsthand how active our residents are in all aspects of our community, and this insight, coupled with his legal experience, makes him an outstanding choice to join our team as our legal counsel. We all know that our community has a very high standard of service, and we need public servants who recognize this and can respond in kind. Dan not only possesses the right academic and legal qualifications to do an outstanding job, he also has the added benefit of being a Pleasanton resident,” Thorne said.

Sodergren previously served as City Attorney and Assistant City Attorney for the city of Livermore and as Special Counsel for the cities of Palo Alto and Oakland. He began his career as a law clerk and served in that capacity in Palo Alto, Santa Clara and San Jose. While in Livermore, Sodergren was involved in the redevelopment of downtown Livermore and the initial phase of Livermore’s Downtown Specific Plan.

There were approximately 20 applicants who participated in the recruitment process. Sodergren’s appointment is subject to ratification by the Council in April and his start date as counsel for Pleasanton will be May 16, 2016.

Photo courtesy City of Tracy