Daniel James McHugh Jr., longtime Redlands city attorney, dies at 68

Daniel James McHugh Jr., longtime City Attorney for Redlands, California, passed away of natural causes on May 12, 2025, at the age of 68 in his long-time home in Grand Terrace.

Renowned for his knowledge of Redlands, its history and culture, and his deep background in land use, Dan devoted over four decades to practicing municipal law, spending nearly four decades skillfully guiding the City of Redlands through significant legal and civic developments, including the Donut Hole saga, battles and cooperation with the Redlands Association, the city emblem controversy, and the hiring and replacement of countless city managers.

Born on November 23, 1956, in New Jersey and growing up in northwest New Jersey, Dan graduated from Rutgers University before earning his Juris Doctor (1983) from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in Sacramento. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1983, initially honing his legal expertise with the esteemed law firm Best Best & Krieger LLP, where he developed his specialization in municipal law. He started representing the City of
Redlands as City Attorney in 1987 while still at BB&K.

He married Karen R. Boegler, whom he met in law school, on January 14, 1984, in Los Angeles County. They moved to Riverside, and then to Grand Terrace. He was appointed to the Grand Terrace Planning Commission in 1986 and served until 1987.

In 1994, Dan joined the City of Redlands as in-house City Attorney, and was the ultimate political survivor, advising eighteen different City Councils and more than twenty council members during his distinguished 28-year tenure. His exceptional work ethic, meticulous attention to detail, and deep institutional knowledge profoundly shaped the city's policies and legal strategies. 

Outside of his professional responsibilities, Dan had a passion was for minerology. Some of the very few vacations he took involved mineral shows. Dan majored in geology, and worked in the chemical laboratory in an oil company while at Rutgers.

Dan McHugh leaves behind a lasting legacy of dedication, ethics, and public service. Redlands Mayor Mario Saucedo adjourned the May 20, 2025, City Council meeting in his memory:

“Dan retired in 2022 after 28 years as our City Attorney, and the principal legal advisor to the City Council, and the City Manager, and all city operations. Dan was appointed in 1994 and served with eighteen separate city councils. He witnessed a tremendous change in the City over nearly three decades and was integrally involved in many of the most important developments in our community. He held a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge. It is hard to overstate his role in the City’s history during that time. Dan’s work habits were well-known to everyone in City Hall. City staff would frequently find him at work well before dawn, and on weekends. It was not unusual to receive a memo, or an agreement, or a staff report late at night or for the City Council, City Manager, or staff to find a 2 A.M. email waiting for them on Monday morning.

In December 2021, Dan announced his intent to retire in the Spring in order to spend more time with his family. Dan was a highly intelligent man, and with dry wit, and an incredible work ethic. For those fortunate enough to work with him, we will remember him with fondness and respect. Dan, we miss you and we adjourn this meeting in your memory, Dan McHugh."

This obituary was written by Michael Reiter, who served as Assistant City Attorney under Dan McHugh from 2006 to 2010.