Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Page 4
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura Matz Draws Election Challenger
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura A. Matz has drawn a challenger in the June 8 primary.
Marvin G. Fischler of the litigation and transactional law firm of Gittler & Bradford in Los Angeles took out nomination paperwork for Matz’s seat late Friday afternoon, according to the Registrar-Recorder’s Office.
Neither Matz nor Fischler returned phone calls for comment yesterday.
This marks the second challenge Matz has faced in her judicial career. After she was appointed to the Glendale Municipal Court Bench in 1996 by then-Gov. Pete Wilson and served a stint as acting presiding judge in 1997, she was challenged by North Hollywood practitioner Glenn W. Hoiby in the 1998 race.
Matz emerged victorious and went on to become presiding judge of the Glendale Municipal Court in 2000 before being elevated by unification.
She graduated from UCLA in 1975 with a degree in literature, then worked for a few years as a paralegal and at a bank before returning to her alma mater for law school. She earned her law degree in 1981 and after being admitted to the State Bar, joined Overton, Lyman & Prince as a litigation associate.
Matz spent three years with the firm before moving on to Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, where she remained until she was tapped for the bench.
Fischler graduated from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and was admitted to practice in 1982.
Every other announced candidate for the court has said that they intend to pursue an open seat, although the only confirmed open seats are those now held by Judge William Pounders, who said he plans to serve out his term, and Judge William Weisman, who has slated his retirement for May. Judge Michael Pastor, who was not available for comment yesterday, has previously voiced uncertainty about running for re-election.
A MetNews effort to determine whether Judge Emily Stevens, who is currently on leave and is eligible to retire with maximum benefits, will run for a new term was stymied when an adult female at the judge’s residence, who did not identify herself, hung up on a reporter.
Deputy District Attorney Alan K. Schneider has taken out paperwork for Pounders’ seat and fellow prosecutor Valerie F. Salkin has done so for Weisman’s.
The other contenders are: Administrative Law Judge Nora Quinn; Calabasas solo practitioner William M. Margolin; Deputy District Attorneys Laurie Trammell Castaneda and Lou Holtz Jr.; Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Thomas Griego; Beverly Hills attorney Mark K. Ameli; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Garcia; Pasadena personal injury attorney Anthony de los Reyes; Los Angeles Superior Court Referee Randolph M. Hammock; and West Los Angeles attorney and mediator Elizabeth A. Moreno.
Judicial hopefuls must file declarations of intent to run between Feb. 1 and Feb. 10, with an extension to Feb. 16 for open seats. Those who have filed declarations must then file nomination documents between Feb. 16 and March 12 in order to officially become candidates.
Copyright 2010, Metropolitan News Company