Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Page 1
Judge Gustavo Sztraicher Dodges Campaign Contest
By a MetNews Staff Writer
One of six Los Angeles Superior Court judges who had been facing potential challenges in the June 7 primary election will not have to campaign to save his job.
Judge Gustavo Sztraicher dodged that bullet late Thursday when the only other candidate who had filed a declaration of intent to run for Sztraicher’s seat returned nominating papers for another race.
“I want to thank all my colleagues and supporters, and the [Mexican American Bar Association Political Action Committee] for all their support,” the judge told the MetNews yesterday. “I’m delighted to be able to continue to do the job I was appointed to do, without distractions.”
Sztraicher, who sits at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, was appointed to the bench in 2014.
The Elections Code permits superior court candidates to file declarations of intent for any number of seats, but when a candidate returns the declaration of candidacy and other required forms for a particular seat, he or she is foreclosed from running for any other.
Open Seat
That was the case with Ribons, a Woodland Hills sole practitioner. He returned his nominating documents Thursday to run for the seat being vacated by Judge Alan Rosenfield.
He will be listed on the ballot with the designation Arbitrator/Attorney, and will be facing Deputy District Attorney Efrain Matthew Aceves, whose designation is Child Molestation Prosecutor. Other potential candidates in that race are Deputy District Attorneys Steven Schreiner and Dennis P. Vincent, civil litigator Aaron J. Weissman, Whittier attorney Alicia Molina, and Superior Court Commissioner Cynthia Zuzga, all five of whom have also filed DOIs in other seats.
The five incumbents still facing potential challenges are:
•Judge Marsha N. Revel, whose potential challengers—Deputy District Attorney Debra Archuleta, criminal defense attorney Naser Khoury, and Schreiner—are all expected to run for open seats instead.
•Judge James A. Kaddo, who had not returned nominating documents as of Friday, and sole practitioner/wine merchant Stepan W. Baghdassarian, who took out nominating documents last month but had not returned them.
•Judge Ray Santana, whose potential opponents are sole practitioner Eric O. Ibisi, Deputy District Attorney Fred Mesropi, and Zuzga.
•Judge Elden S. Fox, whose potential opponents are David A. Berger and Deputy Attorney General Kim Nguyen. Nguyen has also filed a DOI for the seat being vacated by Judge Michelle Rosenblatt.
•Judge Kathryn Ann Solorzano, who faces possible challenges from Khoury and Deputy Public Defender Tami L. Warren. Khoury has said he hopes to run for an open seat, having he filed DOIs in two of them.
Possible Non-Candidacy
A number of sources have said they expect Fox, who did not return phone calls prior to leaving on a lengthy vacation, either to not run or to not campaign actively, particularly in light of a longstanding friendship with Berger, who has worked in his courtrooms at Airport Courthouse and in Beverly Hills.
Warren, who was the deputy assigned to Solorzano’s courtroom, did not return phone calls but has spoken to at least one campaign consultant and has told colleagues she intends to go through with the challenge.
Copyright 2016, Metropolitan News Company