Susan Shelley’s guide to the judicial candidates in Los Angeles County

If there was a Frequently Asked Questions document for elections in California, numbers one through fifteen would be some version of, ”What about the judges?”

That’s why we all should salute Martha and Charles House, longtime GOP political activists, who have organized a forum for L.A. County judicial candidates in every election since 1994. They have also compiled recommendations from retired L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, retired U.S. District Judge Robert C. Bonner, and former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, along with endorsements from the Metropolitan News-Enterprise and evaluations from the L.A. County Bar Association.

Ready?

In the race for Superior Court Office No. 12, incumbent Judge Lynn D. Olson is recommended by Antonovich, Cooley and Metropolitan News. Bonner made no recommendation. The L.A. County Bar rates Judge Olson “well qualified.” Her website is judgelynnolson.com.

I checked campaign finance filings for all the candidates at cal-access.sos.ca.gov. The largest contribution to Judge Olson’s campaign was $10,000 from an independent committee, “Judicial Excellence Together, Sponsored by the California Judges Association.” A $5,500 contribution was made by Thomas Safran, chairman of Thomas Safran & Associates, a Southern California housing developer.

For Superior Court Office No. 39, Antonovich, Cooley and Metropolitan News recommend Deputy District Attorney Jacob Lee, while Bonner recommends attorney and Manhattan Beach Mayor Steve Napolitano. Both are rated “qualified” by the L.A. County Bar. The largest contributor to Lee’s campaign is Lee himself. As of last Sunday, Napolitano’s website reports that his campaign committee ID number is pending; no information on campaign finance was available. The candidates’ websites are jacobleeforjudge.com and stevenapolitano.com.

For Office No. 48, Antonovich, Bonner, Cooley and Metropolitan News recommend Deputy District Attorney Renee Rose, rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar. Rose’s campaign finance reports show that she donated $25,000 to her own campaign and received an equivalent contribution from an individual in Florida with no obvious connection to Los Angeles business or politics. Her campaign website is reneeroseforjudge.com.

In Office No. 93, Victor Avila is running unopposed.

For Office No. 97, Sam Abourched is recommended by Bonner and Cooley, and Sharon Ransom is recommended by Antonovich and Metropolitan News. Both are deputy district attorneys rated “well qualified by the L.A. County Bar. Abourched and Ransom are largely self-funding their campaigns. Their websites are sharonransomforjudge.com and samabourchedforjudge.com.

For Office No. 115, Keith Koyano is recommended by Antonovich, Bonner, Cooley and Metropolitan News. He is a deputy district attorney rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar. Koyano is largely self-funding his campaign. His website is keithkoyanoforjudge.com.

Office No. 124 is a race between incumbent Judge Emily T. Spear, who is rated “not qualified” by the L.A. County Bar, and deputy public defender Kimberly Repecka, also rated “not qualified.” Repecka is recommended by Antonovich, Bonner, and Metropolitan News, while Cooley made no endorsement in the race. Judge Spear was publicly admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance in September for misconduct that included “numerous unauthorized and undocumented absences and early departures from court” along with “false statements to her supervising judge.” Repecka’s website is kimrepeckaforjudge.com. She is the largest donor to her own campaign.

Related Articles

Why California’s climate disclosure law should doom green energy

Endorsement: Re-elect Tanya Ortiz Franklin to the LAUSD school board

Biden is fumbling our relations with Israel: Letters

Susan Shelley: Why I’m voting for Jonathan Hatami for Los Angeles District Attorney

Larry Wilson: Why I’m voting for George Gascón for Los Angeles District Attorney

For Office No. 130, Deputy District Attorney Leslie Gutierrez is recommended by Antonovich, Bonner, Cooley and Metropolitan News. She’s rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar and is largely self-funding her campaign. Her website is lesliegutierrezforjudge.com.

In the race for Office No. 135, Deputy District Attorney Steven Yee Mac is recommended by Antonovich, Cooley and Metropolitan News, while Deputy District Attorney Georgia Huerta is recommended by Bonner. The L.A. County Bar rates both “well qualified.” Both are largely self-funding their campaigns. Their websites are stevenmacforjudge.com and georgiahuertaforjudge2024.com.

For Office No. 137, Senior Deputy County Counsel Tracey Blount is recommended by Antonovich, Bonner, Cooley and Metropolitan News, and rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar. Her largest donor is attorney Brian T. Dunn, managing partner and lead civil rights attorney of The Cochran Firm California, founded by Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Dunn’s bio states that he has represented over 200 victims of police misconduct since 1995. Blount’s website is traceyblountforjudge.com.

To see the candidates’ forum on YouTube, search for “Judicial Candidates Forum LA County Superior Court Whittier, CA January 13.”