Eric W. Danly

Overview

Eric Danly is the Principal in Charge of Meyers Nave’s Santa Rosa office. He advises municipalities, public agencies and special districts in all aspects of the law, with special focus on prevailing wage law, public contract law, and open meetings and records law. He is the appointed City Attorney for the cities of Cloverdale and Petaluma, and General Counsel for the Monterey County Housing Authority Development Corporation.

He has served as the Cloverdale City Attorney since 2002, and has served as the Petaluma City Attorney since 2005. Eric formerly served as the appointed City Attorney for the City of Clearlake and as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Pinole.

Eric is an active member of the public law community, serving on committees and as a speaker and author on topics of relevance to public entities. He has delivered numerous presentations on public contract law, prevailing wage law, open meetings and records law, and ethical laws applicable to public agency officials.

In 2008, he served on the League of California Cities committee that authored the organization’s first published guide to the California Public Records Act, entitled “The People’s Business – A Guide to the California Public Records Act.” He was appointed to and continues to serve on the League of California Cities’ Standing Committee on the Public Records Act. Eric is currently chair of the Public Records Act Committee. Along with his colleagues on the Standing Committee, Eric helped author updates to The People’s Business: A Guide to the Public Records Act, which were published in September 2010 and 2011. Eric and his colleagues on the Public Records Act Committee recently prepared a complete update of the portion of the Municipal Law Handbook covering the Public Records Act. He has also served on the League of California Cities’ Municipal Law Handbook and Legal Advocacy Committees.

Eric’s experience in major public works projects is extensive. Some projects on which he has worked are:

  • The City of Dublin’s Emerald Glen Park, Library, and Shannon Center projects;

  • The Cloverdale Community Development Agency Fire Station Headquarters, Performing Arts Center, and Historical Society Museum projects;

  • The City of Petaluma Ellis Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant project;

  • The City of Healdsburg Wastewater Treatment Plant project;

  • The Iron House Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment Plant project.

    • Before joining Meyers Nave, Eric was a clerk with the San Francisco and Palo Alto City Attorneys’ offices. While at Hastings College of the Law, he took part in the Public Law Research Institute, conducting legal research for public entity clients. He received the CALI “Excellence for the Future Award” for earning top grades at a local government law clinic at Hastings. Prior to attending law school, Eric served as the Assistant Director of the Office of Sponsored Projects at Cornell University, where he was responsible for administration of agreements providing approximately $200 million annually and the negotiation of contracts with state government agencies totaling approximately $70 million annually.

Presentations and Publications

  • Speaker, “Work Place Rules, Contractors Qualifications Liability and Compliance,” Annual American Public Works Association (APWA) Conference, 2011
  • Speaker, “AB 1234 Ethics Training,” cities of Cloverdale, Modesto, and Petaluma, and Meyers Nave’s Santa Rosa office, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011
  • Speaker, “Web 2.0 and Electronics–Emerging Public Records Issues,” League of California Cities Annual Conference, San Diego, 2010; 2011 Section Cyber Institute (webinar), The State Bar of California, 2011
  • Speaker, “Procurement and Public Works Law in California,” Lorman Education Services, Oakland, 2007; Business Section of the Sonoma County Bar Association, Santa Rosa, 2009
  • Author, The People’s Business: A Guide to the Public Records Act, Editorial Update Committee, The League of California Cities, 2008
  • Speaker, “Design-Build 101: The Blueprint and Buildout of AB 642,” Meyers Nave’s Oakland office, 2008
  • Speaker, “Public Contracts and Procurement Regulations in California,” Lorman Education Services, Redding, 2008
  • Speaker, “Open Meeting Laws in California: Ralph M. Brown Act,” Village Charter School, Santa Rosa, 2007
  • Contributor, Municipal Law Handbook, Editorial Update Committee, The League of California Cities, 2006-2007
  • Speaker, “Interpretation of Government Contracts in California,” Lorman Education Services, Oakland, 2006
  • Speaker, “Open Meeting Laws in California: Ralph M. Brown Act,” County Clerk’s Association, Rohnert Park, 2005
  • Speaker, “Public Contract Code and Competitive Public Bidding in California,” Lorman Education Services, Bakersfield, 2005
  • Speaker, “Fundamentals of Construction Law in California,” Sterling Education Seminar, Sacramento, 2004
  • Speaker, “What You Need to Know About Public Records, Open Meetings and Conflicts of Interest in California,” Lorman Education Services, Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa, 2002, 2003 and 2004
  • Speaker, “California Public Records Act–Disclosure of Police Records,” City of Dublin, 2002
  • Speaker, “Getting the Project Off the Ground,” California Special Districts Association, Sacramento, 2001
  • Speaker, “Public Records Act, Special District Institute, Palm Springs, 2001

Professional and Community Affiliations

  • Member, The State Bar of California
  • Member, Sonoma County Bar Association
  • Chair, Public Records Act Standing Committee of the League of California Cities
  • Past Member, Municipal Law Handbook Editorial Committee of the League of California Cities
  • Past Member, Legal Advocacy Committee of the League of California Cities

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, JD, Public law concentration, 1998
  • Stanford University, BA, Interdisciplinary English, 1990