Monday, August 2, 2004
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Valley Legal Aid Lawyer Faces Runoff for Commissioner Spot
By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer/Appellate Courts
A legal aid lawyer from the San Fernando Valley and a retired commissioner who has already lost two runoff elections this year will face off in a runoff for the post of Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner, officials said Friday.
Harvey A. Silberman, who works in the Van Nuys Self-Help Center of San Fernando Valley Neighborhood Legal Services, will face John M. Murphy in balloting by the courtís judges. The winner will succeed Commissioner Michael M. Duffey, who retired July 6.
Murphy is a retired commissioner of the Burbank and Beverly Hills municipal courts who sits on assignment as a Superior Court commissioner. He has previously lost runoffs to Maren Nelson and Brian Petraborg.
Silberman was ranked No. 1 on the candidate list, based on evaluations by a panel of judges. Murphy was No. 16.
As Murphy’s situation indicates, judges are not bound by the rankings. But no candidate has been elected out of ranked order since the previous list was established in 2001.
Silberman is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut and UCLA Law School and was admitted to practice in 1992. Murphy graduated from University of San Fernando Valley College of Law, which he attended at night while working in the clothing business.
He was a deputy public defender prior to his appointment as a commissioner of the now-defunct Burbank Municipal Court in 1978. He moved to the old Beverly Hills Municipal Court in 1981 and retired in 1989, but has sat on assignment periodically since 1998.
The candidates in the election, in ranked order, were Silberman; Referee Anthony Trendacosta; Anthony B. Drewry, staff counsel at Munger, Tolles & Olson; Referee Steff Padilla, Santa Monica attorney James N. Bianco, Century City attorney H. Jay Ford III, Referee Pamela A. Davis, Lancaster attorney and former Referee David Bianchi, Court of Appeal attorney Mary Lou Katz, Alliance for Children’s Rights attorney Amy M. Pellman; Los Angeles attorney Graciela Freixes; Santa Monica attorney Susan Weiss; Referee Alan H. Friedenthal; Los Angeles attorney David J. Cowan; Long Beach attorney Tamila Ipema; Murphy; former Refeee Laura Hymowitz; Referee Daniel Zeke Zeidler; Covina attorney Rocky Lee Crabb; and Joel Wallenstein, a former referee who now works for the State Compensation Insurance Fund.
Also Deputy County Counsel Catherine Pratt, Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Zuzga, Deputy District Attorney Lori-Ann Jones, Los Angeles attorney Robert Harrison, Referee Stephen Marpet, Deputy District Attorney Lia R. Martin, Los Angeles attorney Paul Ted Suzuki, Manhattan Beach attorney Michele Flurer, Deputy District Attorney William J. Woods, Los Angeles attorney Adrienne L. Krikorian, and Referee Jacqueline H. Lewis.
Copyright 2004, Metropolitan News Company