Platform
I am running for judge because I have a passion for the law and would greatly enjoy the challenge of adjudicating cases. But much more importantly, I am running for judge for three reasons: to pursue my commitment to public service, to improve our courts, and to make clear that we need courts that reflect San Francisco instead of the political priorities of Sacramento.
“A Commitment to Public Service”
I have devoted most of the last twenty years to public service. Serving as a judicial officer is natural extension of the public trust I have held as a City Supervisor, as a Public Defender, as a MUNI Commissioner or as budget and finance aide to Mayor Art Agnos. My perspective and experience will be an advantage as I apply legal principles in a fair way, but in the context of our community.
“Changing the Courts”
Every year, California releases 125,000 state prison inmates and 80 percent of them re-offend within one year. The S.F. Chronicle recently reported that our local courts send African-Americans to prison at a higher rate than any other city in the state. The current system does not make us safer. As a judge, I will be firm in punishing those who are violent, especially those who use firearms. But as a leader, I will think innovatively, looking around the world for rehabilitation methods that make sense. I will work with other leaders and elected officials to bring those methods to California. We need to develop alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, especially for young offenders who have grown up surrounded by drugs, poverty and broken homes. We need to stop talking about being tough on crime and start talking about being smart on crime..
I will also work to change our civil courts by making them more accessible and easier to understand to the average citizen. I will be aggressive in settling cases early so we can reduce court congestion. Above all, I will reduce delays and costs to small litigants by being prepared and by issuing decisions quickly. Too many lawyers with small practices complain that their clients (you and me) spend unnecessary time and money having their cases heard. Finally, we need to make the courts more transparent by adopting the “sunshine” and open government laws that apply to every other branch of government. We need to end the secrecy that surrounds our courts.
“The Court Does Not Reflect San Francisco.”
Perhaps most importantly, I am running for judge because the current composition of the court does not reflect San Francisco in any meaningful way. Thirty percent of the judges are Republicans, too many come from large corporate law firms, just two out of 67 judges and commissioners are Hispanic. Some do not even live in San Francisco! When our court system does not reflect us as a City, it is not only a loss to democracy. It is also a loss of trust to those San Franciscans who use the courts.
The system by which we select judges is broken. In California, the governor selects judges, concentrating political power in the hands of large law firms and political contributors. It is an elitist method that can only be corrected by the constitutional safeguard that allows judges to be challenged at the ballot box every six years. In 2007, the State Bar of California found that “The process of judicial appointments is inherently a political one.” They documented that 22 percent of California’s judges are African-American, Asian, or Latino, even if they represent 52 percent of the population. They concluded that “…elections to judgeships can present a viable option for increasing diversity on the bench.” (”Diversity Pipeline Task Force,” 2/11/07) The Los Angeles Times summed it up this way: Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed 209 judges since taking office, of which 9 have been African American, 15 have been Asian-American and 15 have been Hispanic.
