Your guide to the L.A. County Superior Court judge elections: every competitive race

Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print 1 p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix"> Fifteen seats on the Los Angeles County Superior Court are up for election June 2, but only 11 of the contests are competitive with two or more candidates. Binh Q. Dang (Office 39), Ann M. Maurer (Office 60), Mariela Torres (Office 141) and Candice J. Henry (Office 196) are running unopposed for seats on the bench. Three of the competitive seats are held by incumbents, while eight races are wide open. Candidates who earn more than 50% of the vote in the primary win the seat outright. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters move onto the November ballot. Of the competitive races, two are unusually contentious. In one, a judge is seeking reelection even though he has been removed from hearing cases because of what a presiding judge deemed deteriorating mental and physical health. The candidate, however, argues that he suffers from Parkinson’s disease, which has not affected his mental fitness. In the other race, a longtime judge is under fire from his challenger over courtroom comments an outside commission found inappropriate, prompting admonishment. The judge says he believes the commissioners — who found no ethical or moral wrongdoing — took issue with the way he criticized litigants rather than the substance of what he actually said. The county court system, which hears criminal cases as well as a multitude of civil matters, is vast with locations as far north as Lancaster and as far south as Catalina Island. The Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has rated the 28 candidates in contested races in this election. The committee’s evaluations — “exceptionally well qualified,” “well qualified,” “qualified” or “not qualified” — are included in this guide. The committee’s full report, including details about its process, is available online. Here is our look at the candidates for each office. California’s primary election takes place on June 2. Learn about L.A.’s city and county races and others for state offices. Robert S. Draper, Superior Court judge Bar rating: Not qualified Draper joined powerhouse firm O’Melveny and Myers in 1968 and made partner in 1976. He represented major national and international clients and focused on complex civil litigation, including antitrust, business disputes and other matters. He started his own firm in 2005. In 2012, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Draper to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he now presides over high-value business disputes and complex civil matters. Previous assignments include juvenile dependency and civil litigation. Priorities in his courtroom include fairness and efficiency. “That means keeping cases moving, requiring preparation from counsel, and making timely decisions so litigants are not left waiting,” he said in an email. The election arrives as Draper, 84, faces professional scrutiny. In January, the Commission on Judicial Performance issued a 56-page inquiry, launching a proceeding that will examine whether he committed willful misconduct in office, exhibited a persistent failure or inability to perform duties, or acted with prejudicial conduct. The seven counts include an appeals court decision invalidating a $10-million judgment reached in his courtroom. The appellate court noted that Draper made “extreme and bizarre comments” at a post-trial motions hearing and, during the trial, issued “arbitrary and capricious evidentiary rulings.” Draper said he intended to fight the charges. “The charges rely on statements that have been taken out of context and do not accurately reflect the record,” he told The Times, adding that the pending litigation limits his ability to respond. “I welcome a public proceeding where the facts can be fully examined and understood. Draper, who has been working in the world of law for about six decades, is on leave from the bench. A presiding judge determined he was unfit to hear cases, mainly because of his health. Draper told The Times he has Parkinson’s disease, which does not affect his intellectual capacity to hear cases. “Serving on the Superior Court has been the greatest honor of my professional life. I have taken that responsibility seriously every day, and I intend to defend my record and continue serving,” he said. The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. rated him as unqualified for office, one of only three candidates across all races to receive the designation. Tal K. Valbuena, deputy district attorney, Los Angeles County Bar rating: Qualified Valbuena immigrated to the United States from Karachi, Pakistan in 2000. He began a career as a financial auditor but changed paths after he served as a juror and, he says on his campaign website, “I witnessed a Black man targeted because of his race and charged with murder.” He passed the bar in 2014, worked on civil lit

Your guide to the L.A. County Superior Court judge elections: every competitive race

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