Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Page 3
Cooley, Judge, Trutanich Named MetNews ‘Persons of the Year’
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Three government lawyers—Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, Los Angeles County Public Defender Michael P. Judge, and Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich—have been named as Metropolitan News-Enterprise 2009 “Persons of the Year.”
They will be feted at a dinner on Jan. 29 at a private club in downtown Los Angeles. Profiles on the honorees will appear in a special section of the MetNews in early January.
MetNews Co-Publisher Jo-Ann W. Grace said yesterday:
“When Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Charles McCoy swore in Supervisor Mike Antonovich last December, he noticed that Cooley and Judge—heads of county offices which are pitted against each other in the courtroom—were seated next to each other in the audience. He has observed that it is not in many counties in the nation where such would occur.
“It will be all the more unusual, then, for the DA and the PD of a county to be hononed at the same dinner and, beyond that, to present awards to each other.”
Grace noted:
“Although this will be our 22nd annual dinner, it will be the first time a Los Angeles city attorney will be present—and the first time we have wanted the city attorney there. Trutanich is off to a great start and we’re pleased that he will be among our three honorees, all dedicated to public service.”
Former Los Angeles District Attorney Robert H. Philibosian will emcee the event for the 13th time.
Former persons of the year include the late Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Mildred Lillie, 1983; the late California Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk, 1984; the late Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Lester Wm. Roth, 1985; the late Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Parker, 1986; then-Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Billy G. Mills (now retired), 1987; then-Los Angeles Superior Court Executive Officer Frank Zolin, 1988 (now retired); then-Court of Appeal Justice Lynn “Buck” Compton (now retired), 1989; Court of Appeal Justice Miriam Vogel (now retired) and then-State Bar President Charles Vogel, 1990; Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Vaino Spencer (now retired), 1991; Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Joan Dempsey Klein, 1992; then-Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge (now Court of Appeal Presiding Justice) Robert Mallano, 1993; Court of Appeal Justice (now Presiding Justice) Norman Epstein, 1994; then-California Attorney General (now Congressman) Dan Lungren, 1995; California Chief Justice Ronald George, 1996; then-Los Angeles Superior Court Assistant Presiding Judge Victor E. Chavez, 1997; and U.S. District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew (now on senior status), 1998.
Others honored were Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca, 1999; then-Judicial Appointments Secretary (now Los Angeles Superior Court Judge) Burt Pines, 2000; then-State Bar President Karen Nobumoto, 2001; Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, 2002; Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke (now a private judge), 2003; then-State Bar President John Van de Kamp and then-Los Angeles County Bar Assn. President John Collins, 2004; then-Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge William MacLaughlin and then-Assistant Presiding Judge J. Stephen Czuleger, 2005; political consultant Joseph Cerrell, U.S. District Judge George Schiavelli of the Central District of California (now retired) and Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Paul A. Turner, 2006; and San Fernando Valley attorney and civic leader Lee Kanon Alpert, then-Los Angeles County Bar Assn. President Gretchen Nelson, and Philibosian, 2007; Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Charles McCoy and Los Angeles Superior Court Assistant Presiding Judge Lee Edmon, 2008.
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