June
29,
2012

A report on where
things
stand


Three Judges Reelected, Three Prosecutors Elected to Open Seats, No Runoffs in Judicial Election Contests...Superior Court Judge Gary Daigh to Retire Next Month...Conference Committee Tackles Bill on Foreclosures

Judicial Elections

There were six contested races on the June 5 ballot, and all were decided without the need for a runoff. The results, with occupational designations that appeared on the ballot, were:
Office No. 3—Sean Coen, Gang Homicide Prosecutor, defeated Craig Gold, Criminal Trial Prosecutor; Joe Escalante, Attorney/Legal Commentator; and Lawrence Kaldor, Domestic Violence Litigator, for the seat now held by Judge Deborah Andrews, who is retiring July 5.
Office No. 10—Sanjay T. Kumar, Judge of the Superior Court, defeated Kim Smith, Criminal Prosecutor.
Office No. 38—Lynn D. Olson, Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 38, defeated Douglas Weitzman, Consumer Rights Attorney.
Office No. 65—SAndrea Thompson, Child Molestation Prosecutor; defeated Shannon Knight, Gang Homicide Prosecutor; and Matt Schonbrun, Criminal Prosecutor, for the seat now held by Judge Judith VanderLans, who is retiring July 31.
Office No. 78—ames D. Otto, Judge of the Superior Court, defeated Kenneth R. Hughey, Retired Criminal Prosecutor.
Office No. 114—Eric Harmon, Gang Homcide Prosecutor, defeated Ben M. Brees, Consumer Attorney; and Berg Parseghian, Environmental Lawyer, for the seat previously held by Judge Anita Dymant, who retired April 10.



Judges, Lawyers Under Scrutiny

Ricardo Torres II
Disbarred Los Angeles Attorney

Torres, a onetime rising star in local politics, faces further proceedings before Judge George C. Lomeli on Sept. 6. Torres is charged with violating Penal Code Sec. 506 by misappropriating client funds.
Torres reached a stipulation with State Bar prosecutors June 3, in which he agreed to be disbarred for taking almost $90,000 from clients who were seriously injured by a drunk driver in 2005. The criminal case is based on the same incident.
A candidate for the state Assembly and the Los Angeles City Charter Commission in separate 1997 elections, Torres is the son of retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ricardo A. Torres, a former presiding judge, and is a nephew of retired Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner William Torres.

Judiciary: Vacancies, Appointments



Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Senators on June 12 confirmed Arizona Vice Chief Justice Andrew D. Hurwitz by voice vote, one day after cutting off debate by a vote of 60-31. That confirmation followed the May 31 vote by which Los Angeles attorney Paul J. Watford was added to the court, 61-34.
Hurwitz will succeed Judge Mary M. Schroeder, who took senior status at the end of last year. Watford succeeds the late Judge Pamela Ann Rymer.
There is no nomination pending for the seat of Judge Stephen Trott, who took senior status in 2004.

 

The Senate Judiciary Committee had been scheduled to vote yesterday on the nomination of Jesus G. Bernal, deputy federal public defender in charge of the Riverside office, to succeed Judge Stephen G. Larson. The vote was held over due to the lack of the quorum.
Bernal had a confirmation hearing before the committee June 6. President Obama nominated him April 25. The seat has been vacant since Larson resigned Nov. 2, 2009.
A confirmation hearing was held June 27 for Magistrate Judge Fernando M. Olguin, nominated May 14 to fill the vacancy created by Judge Jacqueline Nguyen’s elevation to the Ninth Circuit.
Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank took senior status March 1.


There are no vacancies.

First District

Justice Patricia K. Sepulveda retired March 1 from Div. Four.

Second District

Justice Paul Coffee retired from Div. Six on Jan. 31

Third District

There has been a vacancy since Tani Cantil-Sakauye became chief justice in January of last year.

Forth District

David Thompson, previously an Orange Superior Court judge, was confirmed yesterday to succeed Justice Kathleen O’Leary, who was elevated to presiding justice in February.

Sixth District

Santa Clara County Counsel Miguel Marquez was confirmed yesterday to fill a vacancy created when Justice Richard McAdams retired Feb. 28 of last year. Justice Wendy Duffy retired in October of last year.

Seats in other districts are filled.
Los Angeles Superior Court

Judge John Shook retired July 15 of last year, Judge Martha Bellinger July 31, Judge Judith Champagne Sept. 1, Judge Michael Latin Sept. 5, Judge Maral Injejikian Sept. 6, Judge Peter D. Lichtman Oct. 31, Judge Rita Baird Dec. 30, and Judge Burt Pines Dec. 31.
Judge Marjorie Steinberg retired Feb. 14 of this year, Judge Jacqueline Connor Feb. 24, Judge Carl J. West Feb. 29, Judge Gary Hahn March 7, Judge Rose Hom March 27, Judge Anita Dymant April 10, and Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani May 11.
Judge Gary E. Daigh, whose last workday was June 22, is retiring July 16. Judge Judith Vander Lans will sit for the last time July 6 and officially retire July 31.
Commissioner George Kalinski sat for the last time June 15; his retirement is official this weekend.
Among those whose names have been sent to the JNE Commission as possible appointees to the court are Irvine attorney James L. Crandall, Deputy County Counsel Julie Ann Silva; Deputy Public Defenders Enrique Monguia, Lee W. Tsao and Johan ElFarrah; Deputy District Attorneys Kathleen Tuttle and Brentford Ferreira; Montebello attorney and school board member Edwin Chau, who is also running for the state Assembly; Los Angeles attorney Douglas W. Stern; Glendale attorney Kenneth Wright; Court of Appeal staff attorneys Kenneth E. Roberson and Kim Nguyen; Superior Court Commissioners Lori Behar, Dennis Mulcahy and Kenneth Taylor; Los Angeles attorney Angel Navarro; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Hsu.

Legislation of Interest to the Legal Community

The Legislature took the following action on bills of interest to the legal community in June.

•AB 278, by Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park, and others, which would mandate changes in foreclosure procedures. A new version of the bill was proposed in conference June 27.

•AB 2466, by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, D-Van Nuys, which would allow a court to order the preservation of the assets and property by persons charged with human trafficking. The bill passed the Assembly may 10 by a vote of 73-0, and was referred to the Senate Public Safety Committee May 10 by a vote of 73-0.

•AB 2685, by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which would set 2013 State Bar dues in the present amount, without the $10 rebate authorized last year. The bill, which passed the Assembly in May, was amended in the Senate June 26.

•SB 491, by Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, which, as amended in the Assembly, would bar the inclusion, in a contract of adhesion, of any provision barring class action or private attorney general claims. The bill was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee June 21, and a hearing has been set for July 3.

•SB 890, by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, which would regulate buyers of consumer debt. The bill, which passed the Senate in January, was amended in the Assembly June 18 and again on June 27.


 

 

 


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