Morgan Hill City Attorney Danny Wan was hired as the Port of Oakland’s new attorney Wednesday.
Wan, who has held Morgan Hill’s lead attorney position since 2008, will begin working for the Port of Oakland Dec. 17, according to a press release from the port released Wednesday.
The port’s board of commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Wan to the position Nov. 15.
As the port’s attorney, Wan will be responsible for advising the port on legal affairs related to the port’s maritime, aviation, and commercial real estate businesses, the press release said.
Wan is not new to the Port of Oakland, or the City of Oakland for that matter. He served as the port’s deputy attorney from 2004 to 2008. Before that, he served on the Oakland City Council while working at a private law practice where he specialized in municipal finance and securities disclosure, according to the Port’s press release.
“Mr. Wan brings to this position the ideal background, as public agency legal counsel and executive manager, as a public servant, and as a former deputy Port attorney,” Port of Oakland Board President Gilda Gonzales said. “He will help us fulfill our legal duties and responsibilities as a state tidelands trustee in the highly regulated and competitive environment we face.”
Wan was appointed after a six-month recruitment process conducted by a global executive search firm that led to a pool of nearly 50 applicants, according to the press release.
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront, according to Port staff. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas.
