Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Page 3
Former Judicial Candidate Armsted Considered for Appointment
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A Los Angeles deputy city attorney who came up 25,000 votes short of winning an open Los Angeles Superior Court seat last June is under consideration for appointment to the court, the MetNews has learned.
The name of Songhai Miguda-Armsted has been sent to the State Bar Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation by the Governor’s Office. The prosecutor, who did not return a phone call yesterday, received nearly 48 percent of the vote in her election bid.
Running as Songhai “Sunny” Armsted, she lost the close contest to then-Deputy District Attorney Teresa Magno.
Miguda-Armsted’s candidacy produced some controversy because of a speech she gave to an African-American church gathering last April.
Noting that she was the only African-American judicial candidate on the county ballot, she commented:
“I’m sure we all know who’s in our jails, and who will come before judges in court, right? People who look a lot like the people in this room. People who look a lot like me.
“I’ve been a prosecuting attorney and I’ve seen how things do not work in our system. I see how people who are disenfranchised, do not have appropriate education, or come from underrepresented communities do not get access to fair justice….
“There are 15 open seats right now. I am the only African American who is running. There is only one Chicano running. Can you guess who else is running?
“Are they people who care about people in this room? Probably not. I can’t speak for them, but probably not.”
(There were actually three Mexican Americans in contests for judgeships on that ballot, as well as one who ran unopposed.)
Armstead also told the congregation:
“If you do not show up, it’s the same as voting against us. I’m a judge for you….
“We have black legislators, we have a black president, we don’t have black judges. We need representation in all the different parts of government.”
As a supervisor in the City Attorney’s Office, she has overseen the Safer Cities Initiative, addressing issues related to conditions in the Skid Row area; the Homeless Alternatives to Living on the Street program; Veterans’ Alternative Legal Options and Resources; the Homeless Court program; and the Dispute Resolution Program.
Miguda-Armsted is also CEO of Songhai Solutions, LLP, a conflict-management company that offers, according to its website, “a collaborative approach to finding answers, achieving organizational and professional goals, overcoming obstacles and breaking through limiting beliefs and fears.” She is a graduate of the University of Nevada-Reno and UCLA School of Law.
Copyright 2015, Metropolitan News Company