Friday, January 6, 2006
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Judge Charles Rubin ‘Almost Certain’ Not to Run for Re-Election
Longtime Jurist Says He Will Likely Retire, Take Up Private Mediation This Year
By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles G. Rubin told the MetNews yesterday he is “almost certain” he will not seek re-election in the June 6 primary.
While he has until the March 10 filing deadline to change his mind, Rubin said he had been thinking that “maybe it’s time to do something else,” specifically private mediation. If and when he makes a definite decision not to file, he said, he will most likely set a retirement date for sometime this year.
Rubin said the judicial experience has been “fantastic,” noting that he could have retired with maximum benefits three years ago.
Rubin, 65, is one of the few local judges who came to the bench by defeating an incumbent in an election. He ousted Beverly Hills Municipal Court Judge Jill Jakes, a former ACLU counsel named to the court by Gov. Jerry Brown, in 1982.
The campaign was hard-fought, with Rubin accusing the incumbent of being “a political appointee who distresses knowledgeable court participants with her antics” and noting that she had often been disqualified by prosecutors, while Jakes charged Rubin with distorting her record and criticizing his use of both Democratic and Republican slate mailers.
The County Bar rated Rubin “well qualified” and the incumbent “qualified”
CSULA, UCLA Grad
A Los Angeles native, Rubin graduated from what is now California State University, Los Angeles and UCLA School of Law. He began his legal career in 1966 as a deputy district attorney, then entered private practice in 1970.
Practicing first in Beverly Hills, and later in downtown Los Angeles and West Los Angeles, he specialized in criminal defense and personal injury law and also handled family law matters.
He became a Superior Court judge when the trial courts were unified six years ago, and was transferred from Beverly Hills to the Metropolitan Court on Hill Street.
Also yesterday, Superior Court Judge John H. Reid said he would definitely be a candidate for another term. Reid, 57 years old and a judge since 1986, said he had just returned from vacation and had been surprised to learn that a Los Angeles attorney had taken out papers to run for the seat.
Rumor Debunked
The lawyer, Robert Davenport, said he had no intention of challenging an incumbent, but heard a rumor that Reid was not running. Reid said he had no idea how the rumor started, because it has always been his intent to serve at least one more term.
Davenport has also taken out papers to run for the seat being vacated by Judge Richard G. Kolostian, who is retiring next month.
Other potential candidates for the court include Encino attorney Stephen Feldman, who is seeking signatures to run for the seat of retiring Judge Michael E. Knight; North Hills lawyer Richard A. Nixon, who has taken out paperwork for several seats, including those now held by Kolostian, Knight, Judge Burt Pines, and Judge Melvin Sandvig; Woodland Hills lawyer Stephen H. Beecher, who has targeted Judge Mary Ann Murphy; and Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Daniel Lowenthal, who has not taken out petitions but said he intends to run for an open seat.
Nixon has not responded to MetNews phone calls about his plans, and Beecher declined to discuss his reasons for challenging Murphy.
The nominations period begins Feb. 13 and ends March 10, but there is a five-day extended period for any race in which an incumbent is not running. Candidates seeking to qualify by filing nearly 6,000 signatures in order to avoid paying a filing fee have until Feb. 23 to submit their petitions, but a candidate is not locked into running for a specific seat until nomination papers are filed.
Unlike past years, candidates do not have to file a declaration of intention to run for a particular seat prior to receiving nomination papers.
Copyright 2006, Metropolitan News Company