Thursday, December 13, 2012
Page 3
San Diego Judge Vargas to Join District Attorney’s Office
By a MetNews Staff Writer
San Diego Superior Court Judge Luis R. Vargas has accepted a position at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said yesterday.
Vargas, who has been a judge for 20 years, will begin his new duties in January after he retires from the bench, according to a release. He will be lending the district attorney’s office his expertise in several areas of the law, including civil litigation, appellate cases and cross-border issues, the district attorney said.
Dumanis said in the release:
“I’ve known Judge Vargas for many years and as a former colleague of his on the bench, I’m very excited about having him join the DA’s Office. … We’re fortunate to have him come on board and we will benefit greatly from his experience, particularly in the area of civil litigation and the work done by our Appellate Division.”
Vargas joined the San Diego Superior Court as a judge in 1998 after serving as a municipal court judge for more than five years, including a stint as presiding judge. Before that he was a California deputy attorney general for 12 years in both the criminal and civil divisions.
Vargas commented in a statement:
“I’m honored to have completed 20 years of public service to the court and am pleased to be able to continue a public service role in the office of the district attorney.”
Vargas is bilingual in Spanish and is a member of the Trans-Border Institute Advisory Council at the USD School of Peace Studies. He has been a member of the Bench-Bar Coalition Committee, the California Commission on Criminal Justice, the California Judges Association Executive Board, and the Executive Legislative Action Network.
He is a former vice-president of the California Judges Association and is currently the chair of the California Judges Association Legislature Relations Committee.
Vargas obtained his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1981 and an undergraduate degree in Economics from San Diego State University in 1978.
He is most recently known for presiding over challenges to San Diego’s Proposition B, the pension reform initiative on the November ballot.
Copyright 2012, Metropolitan News Company