Melissa M. Crosthwaite
Practice Areas
Criminal Prosecution, Civil Litigation, and Advisory
Background and Experience
Ms. Crosthwaite is a Deputy City Attorney in the Development Services Group. As part of these duties, Ms. Crosthwaite serves as a code enforcement prosecutor, advises city departments on legal issues, is legal counsel for the Zoning Administrator, and sits as a member of various city task forces. In addition, Ms. Crosthwaite works on Public Records Act requests and Pitchess motions, as well as other various litigation matters.
Prior to joining the City of Santa Ana, Ms. Crosthwaite was an associate at a municipal law firm where she served as assistant city attorney for the cities of South El Monte, San Fernando, and Artesia. In that capacity, Ms. Crosthwaite provided advice in a wide variety of areas, including land use, ethics, redevelopment and the Brown Act. Ms. Crosthwaite began her career practicing education law, advising and representing school districts throughout California.
Professional Affiliations
Ms. Crosthwaite is admitted to practice law in California and before the United States District Court, Central District. She is also a member of the Mexican American Bar Association.
Education
Ms. Crosthwaite received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating summa cum laude and with College Honors. She received her Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law in 2003. While in law school, Ms. Crosthwaite was a member of the La Raza Law Student's Association and served as associate editor of the Chicano-Latino Law Review. She also interned with the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review.