Tuesday, November 12, 2013
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Superior Court Judge DiLoreto Will Not Seek Re-Election, Endorses Christopher Frisco for Seat
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph E. DiLoreto has indicated that he will not seek reelection for his judicial seat, and has endorsed Deputy District Attorney Christopher J. Frisco to fill his upcoming vacancy.
In a signed letter to Frisco dated Oct. 30, a copy of which was provided to the MetNews Friday by the candidate, DiLoreto wrote:
“I am not running for re-election and therefore my judicial seat is open. I do hereby endorse Mr. Frisco and [throw] my entire support behind his campaign for judge for my judicial seat.”
The judge did not return a MetNews phone call.
DiLoreto’s announcement comes after serving over 18 years on the court, to which he was appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson in 1995. A graduate of the University of Portland in Oregon, and of Loyola Law School, he was a deputy district attorney in Orange County from 1967 to 1969, and had a private practice in Downey from 1969 until his appointment to the bench.
He also served on Downey’s city council from 1972 to 1976, including a year as the city’s mayor.
Frisco, a graduate of Southwestern Law School, confirmed that he will be running for DiLoreto’s seat in next June’s primary.
DiLoreto will be the second judge of the court to leave an open seat for aspiring judges to run for. Judge Jessica Perrin Silvers is retiring in February, during the nominations period.
[Judge Janice Claire Croft is also retiring in that period, but her seat will not be on the ballot because her term does not expire until 2017. A statement in the Oct. 31 MetNews End of the Month wrap-up that an election would be held for that seat was erroneous.]
Frisco has worked in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for 24 years. Before joining the office, he spent one year in private practice with the law office of Hiram Kwan.
He cited his experience of having tried close to 200 jury trials as useful preparation for a new role on the bench and taught him the value of fairness in dealing with criminal cases.
“I’ve never objectified defendants as a category,” Frisco said. “I’ve always looked at each defendant and case individually.”
Frisco cites his father, retired Superior Court Judge Charles E. Frisco Sr. as an inspiration and role model. The retired jurist was first appointed a municipal court judge by Gov. Pat Brown in 1966 before being elevated to the Superior Court by Gov. Jerry Brown in 1980.
The elder Frisco, who regularly served as master of ceremonies for the court’s enrobement ceremonies, retired at the end of 1994.
“Since I was a child, my mother would bring me to court to watch my father,” Christopher Frisco recalled. He said his father had a strong reputation for being fair to all sides – a temperament he would seek to emulate on the bench himself.
His brother, Charles E. Frisco Jr., is an attorney in Norwalk.
Frisco is currently registered as a Democrat, but says he is not running a partisan campaign and welcomes a broad range of support. He cited a number of people who have endorsed his candidacy in addition to DiLoreto, including District Attorney Jackie Lacey, former District Attorneys Steve Cooley and Robert Philibosian, and at least 10 other sitting or retired judges.
Frisco said he is in the process of fundraising and is “confident” that he will manage to raise $100,000 before the end of the year.
His campaign advisor and treasurer is David L. Gould, a consultant who is also advising other judicial aspirants in the District Attorney’s Office, including Andrew Cooper, Alison Matsumoto Estrada, Donna Hollingsworth Armstrong, and Stacy Okun-Wiese.
Also seeking election to an open seat is Deputy District Attorney Dylan Mathai, who has retained consultant Brendan Huffman. In addition, real estate broker/attorney and four-time judicial candidate Douglas Weitzman reported on a legal marketing website that he intends to launch another candidacy in February.
Copyright 2013, Metropolitan News Company