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Tapia Elected Assistant Presiding Judge of Los Angeles Superior Court
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Sergio C. Tapia II has been elected by judges of the Los Angeles Superior Court as the 2023/2024 assistant presiding judge which means, if tradition is followed, that he will be elected in two years, without opposition, as the court’s presiding judge for 2025 and 2026.
Tapia, who sits in Burbank, defeated Judge David J. Cowan, supervising judge of the court’s Civil Division, and Judge Sam Ohta, supervising judge of the Criminal Division.
Ballots were counted by Judges Ronald S. Coen, J. Stephen Czuleger (a former presiding judge), and Larry P. Fidler. They are the judges with the most seniority who were available.
In an email to judges, Presiding Judge Eric Taylor commented that the court is “good hands with the team of Judge [Samantha] Jessner,” the 2023/2024 presiding judge, “and Judge Tapia.” He added:
“I also wish to deeply thank Judge Cowan and Judge Ohta for their dedication to our Court and the professional campaign they conducted.”
Tapia was appointed to the court on Dec. 5, 2013 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. He was, at the time, a deputy in charge at the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office, an office he joined in 2001.
He served three years before that as a deputy public defender.
His law degree is from the University of Iowa.
Copyright 2022, Metropolitan News Company