SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointments of 16 judgeship positions in county trial courts across the state.
According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, Newsom appointed six judges in Los Angeles County, one in Merced County, one in Orange County, one in San Diego County, two in San Francisco County, three in Santa Clara County, one in San Joaquin County and one in Tulare County.
In Los Angeles County, attorney William Forman will replace retired Judge James A. Kaddo. A Harvard Law School graduate, Forman has served as an associate at Arnold & Porter, deputy federal public defender in the Central District of California, associate at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe (now dissolved), counsel at WilmerHale, and partner at Scheper Kim & Harris LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP. He is a Democrat.
Attorney Davis Garcia will replace retired Judge Daniel Feldstern. A graduate of UCLA School of Law, Garcia has worked as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California, senior attorney at Southern California Edison, director of investigations at Edison International, and supervising attorney at the Inner City Law Center. He is a Democrat.
Commissioner Sumako McCallum will fill the vacancy left by Judge Anne Hwang, who was elevated to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. McCallum graduated from UCLA School of Law and has worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP, staff attorney at the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, senior deputy county counsel at the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office, and as a court commissioner for the Los Angeles Superior Court. She is a Democrat.
Commissioner Alan Z. Yudkowsky, a New York Law School graduate, will replace retired Judge Barbara M. Scheper. He previously worked as associate, counsel, and partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan (now dissolved), and as principal at the Law Offices of Alan Z. Yudkowsky. He is a Democrat.
Attorney Melanie Chavira, a UCLA School of Law graduate, will succeed retired Judge Mary Lou Villar. Chavira has worked as a prosecutor and assistant supervisor at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, trial advocacy instructor for the Trial Advocacy Prosecution Program, and city prosecutor in the Redondo Beach City Attorney’s Office. She is a Democrat.
Counsel Terrence Jones will replace Judge Serena R. Murillo, who was elevated to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. A graduate of Loyola Law School, Jones has served as assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of California, associate at Ballard Spahr, and chief trial counsel at Cameron Jones. He is a Democrat.
In Merced County, attorney Ashley Albertoni Sausser will replace retired Judge Shelby Seymour. A graduate of Humphreys Drivon School of Law, Albertoni Sausser has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Stanislaus, a law clerk and attorney at Fagalde, Albertoni & Flores, and an attorney at Albertoni & Associates. She is a Democrat.
In Orange County, Commissioner Randall Bethune will replace retired Judge James L. Waltz. Bethune, who graduated from Whittier Law School, worked as an attorney at the Law Office of Randall S. Bethune, senior deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, and commissioner of the Orange County Superior Court. He is a Democrat.
In San Diego County, Commissioner Deborah Cumba will fill the seat of retired Judge Howard H. Shore. A graduate of USC Gould School of Law, Cumba has worked as an associate at Clark Hill and Wilson Elser and as a deputy attorney at the California State Department of Transportation. She is a Democrat.
In San Francisco County, attorney John D. Echeverria will replace retired Judge Anne-Christine Massullo. A graduate of UCLA School of Law, Echeverria served as a law clerk for Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, adjunct professor at UC Law San Francisco, and deputy attorney general for the California Attorney General’s Office. He is a Democrat.
Attorney Dawn Payne will succeed retired Judge Kathleen A. Kelly. Payne graduated from UCLA School of Law and clerked for Judge Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She also worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster and Calvo & Clark LLP, staff attorney at the Ninth Circuit, and attorney with the Judicial Council of California’s Legal Services Office. She is a Democrat.
In Santa Clara County, attorney Jeffrey El-Hajj will replace retired Judge Peter H. Kirwan. El-Hajj, a UC Law San Francisco graduate, worked as an associate at Angel Law, law clerk at the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and research attorney for the Sixth Appellate District Court. He is a Democrat.
Attorney Eunice Lee will replace retired Judge Vanessa Zecher. Lee graduated from UC Law San Francisco and worked as an associate at Minami Tamaki and deputy district attorney in the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. She is a Democrat.
Commissioner Erik Johnson will fill the seat of retired Judge Carrie Zepeda-Madrid. A Santa Clara University School of Law graduate, Johnson has worked as an associate at Hinkle Jachimowicz Pointer & Emmanuel, solo practitioner at the Law Office of Erik Steven Johnson, and commissioner of the Santa Clara County Superior Court. He is a Democrat.
In San Joaquin County, attorney Adam Ramirez will replace retired Judge Jose L. Alva. Ramirez, who graduated from Humphreys University Drivon School of Law, has worked as an attorney at the Law Office of Christopher K. Eley and the Family Law Service Center, adjunct professor at Humphreys University, and associate and shareholder at Hakeem, Ellis, Marengo & Ramirez. He is a Democrat.
In Tulare County, counsel Frank Ruiz will replace retired Judge Brett R. Alldredge. A Seattle University School of Law graduate, Ruiz worked as a volunteer attorney for the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office, associate for the Children’s Advocacy Group, and deputy county counsel for Kings County Counsel’s Office. He is a Democrat.
According to the Governor’s Office, the annual compensation for each appointed judgeship is $244,727.
