Description
The David Pesonen Papers include materials produced and acquired by Pesonen relating to his professional activities as an
environmental activist, lawyer, and judge in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Background
David Pesonen was an environmental activist, lawyer, and judge in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating from Boalt
Law School, at the University of California, in 1968, he began work at a San Francisco law firm and became involved in the
anti-nuclear movement. He was elected chairman of Californians for Nuclear Safeguards, and was one of the authors of Proposition
15—an unsuccessful 1976 ballot initiative to restrict nuclear power production in California. He was also involved in the
successful opposition to proposed nuclear power plants near Bodega Bay, in Sonoma County, and Point Arena, in Mendocino County.
In 1979 Pesonen was appointed by Governor Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. to the office of Director of Forestry. In the final
days of Governor Brown's term in office, he appointed Pesonen to the Superior Court in Contra Costa County. He ran unsuccessfully
for reelection to the post in 1984.
Extent
21 linear feet
(16 cartons, 1 box, 1 oversize folder)
Restrictions
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privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
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Availability
Collection is open for research.