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Peter M. Thorson is a shareholder in
the Public Law Department at Richards, Watson & Gershon. Mr.
Thorson specializes in general municipal law, land use law and redevelopment
law. He currently serves as City Attorney for the City of Temecula.
Mr. Thorson also served as the City Attorney for the Cities of Azusa,
Downey and Mission Viejo, and as Assistant City Attorney for the
Cities of Alhambra and Camarillo, as well as counsel for the Alhambra
Redevelopment Agency and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of
West Covina.
Mr. Thorson has over 28 years of experience in municipal law representing
a diverse group of clients throughout California and assisting those
clients in managing complex municipal issues. Mr. Thorson has extensive
experience in the entitlement process for large complex planned
developments. His land development work includes the preparation
of development agreements, specific plans, CEQA documents, development
fee ordinances, and infrastructure financing, as well as litigation
involving referenda on land use projects. Mr. Thorson's redevelopment
work allowed him to participate in the development of numerous shopping
centers, commercial and manufacturing facilities, auto dealerships,
affordable income housing, and a theater and entertainment complex.
In addition to his experience as a City Attorney, Mr. Thorson also
has extensive litigation experience in civil rights, land use, police
practices, public works, and personal injury cases. He has argued
numerous cases in the courts of appeal and a First Amendment case
before the California Supreme Court.
In 2004, Mr. Thorson served as President of the Orange County City
Attorney's Association, and for the previous two years on its Executive
Board. In 2000-2002, Mr. Thorson served on the Legal Advocacy Committee
of the League of California Cities and on the Editorial Board of
the Municipal Law Handbook. In 1991-92, Mr. Thorson served as Chair
of the Governmental Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association
and served for several years prior to that on the Section's Executive
Board. Mr. Thorson has lectured extensively on a variety of public
law issues before the League of California Cities Annual Meetings
and the American Planning Association.
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B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1974
J.D., Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles,
1978
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