It looks as though Dieter Carlos Dammeier will stay planted in Rancho Cucamonga as an administrative law judge after losing judicial races in both Merced and San Bernardino counties in Tuesday’s primary election.
Dammier, 55, who serves on the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board in Rancho Cucamonga, said he would likely have moved to Merced County had he won a seat on the bench there, as his son wants to attend UC Merced.
Merced County race
In Merced County, Dammeier ran against Monika Saini-Donabed, a judicial attorney for Merced County Superior Court, and attorney Regina Sonja Lea Adams. Saini-Donabed captured 61.2% of the vote, eliminating the chance for a November runoff between her and Dammeier, who finished second with 22.3% of the vote.
“Monika worked her campaign hard and deserves the win,” Dammeier said.
Now, Dammeier said he has no plans to uproot his family from Southern California.
Veteran San Bernardino County prosecutor Michelle Lauron defeated challenger Dieter Carlos Dammeier in the primary election on Tuesday, March 5, securing 74.6% of the vote to Dammeier’s 25.05%.(Courtesy photo)
San Bernardino County race
In the San Bernardino County race, Dammeier lost his bid for Superior Court judge to Michelle Lauron, a veteran prosecutor who received 74.6% of the vote to Dammeier’s 25.1%.
“MIchelle ran a solid campaign. It is always tough to beat a good prosecutor in a judicial race,” Dammeier said. “I have no doubt she will be a great judge.”
He said he will never again run against a prosecutor in a judicial election, which means he likely will not run for a seat on the bench again, given that prosecutors typically compete for judicial offices.
“It’s just too tough to overcome that ballot title,” Dammeier said.
In a statement Wednesday, March 6, Lauron said she was thankful to the voters.
“I’m humbled and honored to have earned the support and trust of the people of San Bernardino County,” Lauron said.
‘Very misleading’
Dammeier, a former police attorney whose now-defunct Upland law firm gained notoriety in 2013 for alleged unethical conduct, drew flak from the San Bernardino County Supervising Deputy District Attorneys Association for running for office in both counties. Association spokesman Douglas Poston called it “very misleading to the public in both counties.”
The criticism surrounded a loophole in California election law, which remains murky about whether a candidate is allowed to seek more than one public office at the same time.
In a statement Wednesday, Poston called Lauron’s “big win” a bittersweet moment. While San Bernardino Superior Court was gaining a new judge, the District Attorney’s Office was losing a “great colleague.”
“We’re also very pleased the voters in both San Bernardino and Merced counties saw through the chicanery and elected the right people,” Poston said. “No one should want a judge who focuses on loopholes instead of the law.”