Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

 

Page 1

 

Commissioner Zuzga Reports ‘Well Qualified’ Rating

 

By a MetNews Staff Writer

 

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Cynthia “Cyndy” Zuzga has been rated “Well Qualified” for election as a judge of the court by the County Bar’s Judicial Election Evaluation Committee, she reported yesterday.

Zuzga, who appealed her tentative rating of “Qualified,” becomes the sixth candidate to report a “Well Qualified” rating. No candidate thus far has reported receiving the highest possible rating, “Exceptionally Well Qualified.”

Zuzga, a former prosecutor who has been a commissioner since 2006, is one of four candidates for a seat left open by Judge Alan Rosenfield. The others are Deputy District Attorney Efrain Matthew Aceves, who was rated “Well Qualified,” and private practitioners Michael Rbbons and Alicia Molina, who did not respond to requests for comment.

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.

Candidates who have drawn the “Well Qualified” rating this cycle, besides Zuzga, are Deputy District Attorney Steven Schreiner, Judge Kathryn Ann Solorzano, state Deputy Attorney General Kim Nguyen, and Deputy District Attorney Fred Mesropi.

In other news:

Judge James Kaddo reported that he had been rated “Qualified” and did not appeal.

Kaddo said he was “happy” with the rating, and drew a contrast with his opponent, Stepan Baghdassarian, whom he said was “qualified to taste wine.” Baghdassarian did not participate in the committee’s evaluation process, sources said, which under the committee’s practice results in an automatic “Not Qualified” rating.

He did not respond to requests to comment.

Aaron Weissman, a business litigator with the Century City firm of Novian and Novian, told the MetNews that he had been rated “Qualified” following an appeal. Weissman’s opponents, all deputy district attorneys, are Hubert Yun, Javier Perez and Susan Jung Townsend.

All three were tentatively rated “Qualified.” and were not expected to appeal.

 

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