Thursday, December 5, 2019
Page 1
Candidate Moss Drops ‘Judge Pro-Tem’From His Ballot Designation
By a MetNews Staff Writer
West Hills family law attorney Bruce Moss, a candidate for Los Angeles Superior Court Office No. 129, yesterday went to the registrar-recorder’s office and changed his ballot desiignation from “Attorney/Judge Pro-Tem” to “Attorney at Law.”
He did so, Moss said, in response to a phone call Tuesday night from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stuart Rice, who heads the pro-tem program, relating:
“He said it could affect my standing with the program.”
The candidate noted that he also became aware of an article in Tuesday’s issue of the METNEWS. It points out that the Court of Appeal for this district held in 1988 in Luke v. Superior Court that “neither a court commissioner, nor any other individual who is not a ‘judge,’ as that term is defined in the Constitution and statutes of this state, may utilize a ballot designation containing the word ‘judge’ or a derivative thereof.”
Moss declared, a short time before going to the registrar recorder’s Norwalk office:
“I made an error and will correct the error.”
‘Retired Army General’
Moss is one of three candidates for Office No. 129. The others are Kenneth M. Fuller, whose designation is “Deputy District Attorney, County of Los Angeles,” and Mark MacCarley, who has termed himself “Retired Army General.”
However, §20716(h)(4) of the Code of Regulations:
“A candidate may not use the word ‘retired’ in his or her ballot designation if that candidate possesses another more recent, intervening principal profession, vocation, or occupation.”
Admitted to practice in 1975, he opened his current law firm in February 2015, according to his office website. His LinkedIn page says it was October 2014.
MacCarley did not respond to an emailed inquiry as to whether he would be altering his designation.
Writ Proceeding
Moss said he doesn’t “know at this point” if he would seek a writ challeging MacCarley’s ballot designation if he does not alter it voluntarily by tomorrow’s deadline. He added:
“Possibly.”
Fuller said Monday that he hoped his rivals “will voluntarily amend their ballot designations without any need for a challenge on my part.”
As of press time yesterday, four candidates for open seats had not returned their nominating papers, which are due tomorrow. The candidates and the seats for which they have taken out papers are Onica Cole, running as “Sherri ‘Onica’ Valle Cole,” Nos. 129, 150; Robert Jacobs, Nos. 72, 80; Adan Montalban, No. 162; and Robert Villa, No. 42.
Jacobs, an immigration attorney, said he will seek Office No. 72. He will compete with Associate Law Professor Myanna Dellinger and Deputy District Attorney Steve Morgan.
Only one incumbent who is up for election has taken out but not returned nominating papers: Judge Richard Naranjo. He said he will file them today.
Copyright 2019, Metropolitan News Company