Weighing the Choices for Judges

Who to vote for in the little-discussed races for Los Angeles County Superior Court?

A Superior Court judge has the power to put you behind bars, fine you, dissolve your marriage, approve your eviction, and even appoint a conservator over you. Yet the races for Los Angeles Superior Court get very little attention, and one of the most frequent questions I am asked during every election cycle is “What about the judges? Who should I vote for?”

To help answer those questions, I have reviewed and pulled together resources on all the candidates in the contested races, and made some recommendations. 

First a little context: if elected, the candidates you see on the ballot may wind up with various sorts of cases, depending on their assignments. A Superior Court judge may hear criminal, civil family law, probate, mental health, juvenile or traffic cases. But the judges who preside in Los Angeles County courts are hardly representative of the county population.  Nearly two-thirds of Los Angeles Superior Court Judges are male, and 63% of them are white. Former prosecutors make up 78% of the Superior Court bench, while only 2 LA County Superior Court Judges were public defenders elected to the position. That radical imbalance creates inequities in the justice system, and informs my recommendations. (For the second election cycle in a row, there is a slate of public defenders running — the Defenders of Justice.)

For each race below, I indicate several prominent endorsements for each candidate. Some are from groups I generally agree with – Los Angeles Forward, for example. Some of them are from groups or people I almost never agree with – like Steve Cooley. And some are from sources I sometimes agree with, and sometimes disagree with, such as the Los Angeles Times.

Superior Court Office No. 12: 

Candidates: Rhonda A. Haymon; Judge Lynn D. Olson

This is a race with a strange dynamic. Last year, Olson held Haymon in contempt of court for what she described as disruptive behavior. The LA Times describes Olson as an “even-tempered judge who demonstrates knowledge and experience in managing a courtroom.”  She is supported by the Los Angeles Times, former District Attorney Steve Cooley, the very conservative former Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, lots of elected officials from South Bay communities. She is also recommended by the right-wing, dark money PAC Thrive Los Angeles.

Haymon is endorsed by La Defensa, Los Angeles Progressive, the Los Angeles Sentinel, KNOCK LA, Inglewood Mayor Jim Butts and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters. KNOCK praises Haymon’s “experience as a public defender litigating cases from petty misdemeanors to homicides for more than two decades.  Also teaches law at Southwestern Law School showcasing more experience than Olson, who “was not even practicing law when she ran in 2006, having spent years running a Manhattan Beach bakery, and managed to sandbag the incumbent with a flood of deceptive mailers.”

Recommendation: Rhonda Haymon for Superior Court Office No. 12

Superior Court Office No. 39

Candidates: Ronda Dixon, Jacob Lee, Steve Napolitano, George Turner

George Turner is a Deputy Public Defender representing indigent individuals accused of crimes. George has handled hundreds of cases including misdemeanors, felonies, and juvenile petitions. He has advocated for treatment and programs to meet the needs of his most vulnerable clients, especially those with mental health disorders. He is the Supervising Public Defender of the Mobile Homelessness Unit with the Public Defender's Office. He is endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Los Angeles Forward, Los Angeles Progressive, Stonewall Democratic Club, the Los Angeles Sentinel, and the L.A. County Public Defenders Union. He is part of the Defenders of Justice slate. 👍

Jacob Lee is a Deputy District Attorney endorsed by former District Attorneys Steve Cooley and Jackie Lacey, the very conservative former Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALAD), and the Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA). Lee is also recommended by the right-wing, dark money PAC Thrive Los Angeles.

Steve Napolitano is a Manhattan Beach City Councilmember and well-respected deputy to former Supervisor Don Knabe. He has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times, state Senator Ben Allen, former LA Councilmember Joe Buscaino, and right-wing cuckoo Craig Huey.

Recommendation: George Turner for Superior Court Office No. 39

Superior Court Office No. 48 

Candidates: Ericka Wiley, Renee Rose, Mike Burroughs

Wiley is a Deputy Public Defender who wants to break the cycles that fuel the crisis of mass incarceration. She has represented clients in criminal cases with charges ranging from misdemeanors to capital crimes. She has worked as deputy in charge, supervising other lawyers The LA Times says Wiley “has handled capital murder and other special circumstances cases, and served as a supervisor in the Bellflower courthouse.  Her demeanor is calm but commands respect, and makes her well-suited to the bench.“ She has been endorsed by the Los Angeles Times, KNOCK LA, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Los Angeles Forward, LA Progressive, the Los Angeles Sentinel, the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Union, and LA Defensa. She is part of the Defenders of Justice slate.👍

Rose is a private attorney running with the endorsements of Antonovich, Cooley, ALAD, ADDA, and the Police Chiefs Association. She is also recommended by the right-wing, dark money PAC Thrive Los Angeles.

Recommendation: Ericka Wiley for Superior Court Office No. 48 

Superior Court Office No. 97

Candidates: Sam Abourched, La Shae Henderson, Sharon Ransom

Henderson has served as a bilingual lawyer for the Los Angeles County Public Defender for eighteen years working in various areas of criminal defense. She collaborated with attorneys across California and conducted trainings to help attorneys develop legal strategies to fight cases under the Racial Justice Act. La Shae is passionate about Juvenile Law and has worked as a counselor, youth minister, mentor, and life coach for teens in her community. She is currently in private practice and teaching Juvenile Rights as an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. She is endorsed by Knock LA, LA Forward, Los Angeles Progressive, La Defensa, and the County Public Defender’s Union, and La Defensa. She is part of the Defenders of Justice Slate. 👍

The LA Times praises Ransom, a deputy district attorney, as someone who “ worked for years as a dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and was nearly 40 before she became an attorney. This experience appears to have provided valuable perspective and maturity. Judges and defense lawyers note her unflappable manner in seeking resolution of cases in the D.A.’s mental health unit, and previously in prosecuting elder abuse and child molestation. She has the endorsement of the Times, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Antonovich, the Los Angeles Sentinel, ALAD, ADDA, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. She is also recommended by the right-wing, dark money PAC Thrive Los Angeles.

Abourched, also a deputy district attorney, is endorsed by Cooley and the ADDA.

Recommendation: La Shae Henderson for Superior Court Office No. 97 

Superior Court Office No. 115

Candidates: Christmas Brookens, Keith Koyano

Brookens is a deputy district attorney that the LA Times says is “particularly impressive when discussing the role of victims in criminal cases, displaying a depth of thought and analysis that would likely make her excel on the bench.”  She has the endorsement of the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Stonewall Democrats, the Los Angeles Sentinel, ADDA, and the Mexican American Bar Association.

Koyano is also a deputy district attorney. He has the support of Cooley, Lacey, and ADDA.

Recommendation: Christmas Brookens for Superior Court Office No. 115 

Superior Court Office No. 124

Candidates: Kimberly Repecka, Judge Emily T. Spear.

Repecka is a deputy public defender with experience with the Children’s Law Center. She LA Times describes her as “capable and well-regarded,” noting she has represented children in dependency court. She has the endorsement of the LA Times, Knock LA, LA Forward, Stonewall, LA Progressive, Stonewall, Antonovich, La Defensa, the LA County Public Defenders Union, and Sunrise LA.

Judge Spear was publicly admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance in 2023. The LA Times notes that “his is the first time in more than 30 years that The Times has recommended defeat of an incumbent judge. It’s not that Spear is the worst judge to come up for reelection in those decades. But she has shown herself to be unfit and she has been challenged by a better candidate.” Spear has very few ndorsements, and she is recommended by the right-wing, dark money PAC Thrive Los Angeles.

Recommendation: Kimberly Repecka for Superior Court Office No. 124 

Superior Court Office No. 130 

Candidates: Chris Darden, Leslie Gutierrez, Osmar Taher

Chris Darden, the former OJ Simpson prosecutor, is the most prominent name here, and he has won the endorsements of Knock LA, the Los Angeles Sentinel, and his former boss, Gil Garcetti. But he has been excoriated by activist and journalist Jasmyne Cannick for his defense of Ed Buck, who was convicted of nine federal charges, including the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, maintaining a drug den, distributing methamphetamines, and solicitation of prostitutes. On April 14, 2022, Buck was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Cannick, whose crusade led to the arrest and prosecution of Buck, said Buck tried to malign one of Buck’s deceased victims for being HIV positive and tried to undermine the testimony of the victims’ mother by suggesting she was homophobic.

Gutierrez has won the endorsements of the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Los Angeles Progressive, Stonewall Democrats, Antonovich, ADDA, Mexican American Bar Association, and various Democratic clubs. She is also recommended by the right-wing, dark money PAC Thrive Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times says she “has a reputation as an ethical and hard-working deputy district attorney and is a skilled trial lawyer.”

Taher has the support of the Los Angeles County Republican Party.

Recommendation: I reluctantly voted for Leslie Gutierrez for Superior Court Office 130.

Superior Court Office 135

Candidates: Mohammad Ali Fakhreddine, Georgia Huerta, Steven Yee Mac

The Los Angeles Times endorses Mac, describing him as “a deputy district attorney and also a member of the Judge Advocate General Corps, serving as a legal advisor to the Army. He earns high praise for his work as a trial lawyer.” He has the support of the Los Angeles Times, Stonewall Democrats, LGBTQ+ organizations, Antonovich, Cooley, ADDA, and ALAD.

Huerta, also a deputy district attorney, has the support of Knock LA, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Los Angeles Progressive, and ADDA. Knock says she has “ the most experience as a lawyer and who has served as a district attorney in the collaborative courts – special courts designed to address issues of mental illness and substance abuse with a focus on treatment and recovery rather than incarceration.”

Recommendation: Georgia Huerta for Superior Court Office 135

Superior Court Office 137

Candidates: Michael H. Berg, Tracey M. Blount, Luz E. Herrera, Diana Ruth James

Blount represents Los Angeles County in Dependency Court, where judges must decide whether to remove children from their homes because of abuse or neglect, and then work with all the parties involved to eventually reunify the families. She has the support of the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Antonovich, Cooley, and the Los Angeles Sentinel.

Herrera is a law professor, from LA,  although currently teaching in Texas. She is described as “very smart, progressive “with lots of backing from unions, judges, and law professors. She has the endorsement of the LA Progressive, LA Opinion, State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, and others.

Recommendation: Tracy Blount or Luz Herrera for Superior Court Office 137