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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 30 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 2000-2002 and again in 2009-10, Mr. Thorson served on the Legal
Advocacy Committee of the League of California Cities . In 2000-2002
and again in 2010-2011, Mr. Thorson served on the Editorial Board
of the Municipal Law Handbook. He his currently the editor of the
Land Use Chapter of the Municipal Law Handbook. 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 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.
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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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