Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Page 1
Four Candidates Report ‘Well Qualified’ Rating From LACBA
By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer
Four candidates for the Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday reported being rated “Well Qualified” by the County Bar’s evaluating panel.
Incumbent Kathryn Ann Solorzano, state Deputy Attorney General Kim Nguyen, and Deputy District Attorneys Efrain M. Aceves and Fred Mesropi reported receiving the rating, which is the second- highest possible. None of the candidates reached by the MetNews yesterday reported being rated “Exceptionally Well Qualified.”
Solorzano’s challenger, Deputy Public Defender Tami L. Warren, did not respond.
Fox Seat
Nguyen and Mesropi are among five candidates seeking the seat being vacated by Judge Elden Fox. One of her opponents, Deputy District Attorney David A. Berger, was rated “Not Qualified,” it was learned, but declined to comment.
Also in that race are sole practitioner Naser Khoury, who said he had not received the letter containing the rating, and Deputy City Attorney Onica Valle Cole, who said she was rated “Qualified” and would not appeal.
Under the committee’s rules, candidates may appeal their initial ratings, which are based on recommendations by a subcommittee that interviews all of the candidates in a given race who choose to participate. Candidates who do not receive the highest rating may appeal and appear before the full committee.
Aceves is one of four candidates for a seat left open by Judge Alan Rosenfield. The others are Superior Court Commissioner Cyndy Zuzga, who declined to disclose her tentative rating, and private practitioners Michael RIbons and Alicia Molina, who did not respond to requests for comment.
Other Races
In other races:
•Deputy District Attorneys Debra Archuleta and Paul Kim reported being rated “Qualified,” and both said they would not appeal. They are seeking an open seat, along with Deputy District Attorney Steven Schreiner and civil litigator Jonathan Malek, who did not respond.
•Deputy District Attorneys Javier Perez and Hubert Yun both reported being rated “Qualified,” with Perez saying he would not appeal and Yun not indicating whether he would or not. As for the other candidates in that race, it was learned that Deputy District Attorney Susan Jung Townsend was rated “Qualified” and that business attorney Aaron Weissman was rated “Not Qualified” but was planning to appeal.
Copyright 2016, Metropolitan News Company