Wednesday, July 19, 2017
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Judicial Elections Reform Bill, SB 235, Heads for Assembly Floor
By a MetNews Staff Writer
SB 235, which would bar inventive ballot designations such as “Child Molestation Prosecutor,” yesterday passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee on a vote of 10-1, and now heads for the Assembly floor.
It was passed by the Senate on May 22 on a vote of 34-1, and approved by the Assembly Elections and Redistricting Committee on June 28 6-1.
The bill’s author, Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, told the MetNews:
“The effort to prevent the use of misleading judicial ballot titles has struck a nerve in the Legislature, as evidenced by the bi-partisan support it has received in the Senate and Assembly so far. I am optimistic it will continue to be favorably received as it moves through the final steps of the legislative process later this summer.”
The bill would amend portions of Elections Code §13107. The changes only affect judicial elections.
The section would provide:
“For a candidate for judicial office who is an attorney active member of the State Bar employed by a city, county, district, state, or by the United States, the designation shall appear as word designating the actual job title, as defined by statute, charter, or other governing instrument, one of the following:
“(A) Words designating the actual job title, as defined by statute, charter, or other governing instrument.
“(B) One of the following ballot designations: ‘Attorney,’ ‘Attorney at Law,’ ‘Lawyer,’ or ‘Counselor at Law’ The designations ‘Attorney’ and ‘Lawyer’ may be used in combination with one other current principal profession, vocation, or occupation of the candidate, or the principal profession, vocation, or occupation of the candidate during the calendar year immediately preceding the filing of nomination documents.”
Government lawyers would be required to specify the city, county, or (with respect to San Francisco) “city and county” by which they are employed.
It would also specify:
“A candidate for superior court judge who is an active member of the State Bar and practices law as one of his or her principal professions shall use one of the following ballot designations as his or her ballot designation: ‘Attorney,’ ‘Attorney at Law,’ ‘Lawyer,’ or ‘Counselor at Law.’ The designations ‘Attorney’ and ‘Lawyer’ may be used in combination with one other current principal profession, vocation, or occupation of the candidate, or the principal profession, vocation, or occupation of the candidate during the calendar year immediately preceding the filing of nomination documents.”
The bill—sponsored by the Conference of California Bar Associations—has been endorsed by the California Judges Association, the Alliance of California Judges, Los Angeles County Bar Association, San Diego County Bar Association, the Los Angeles Times, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, and numerous individuals including Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert of this district’s Div. Seven.
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