LASC Judge Walgren Might Be Spared Election Challenge

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

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LASC Judge Walgren Might Be Spared Election Challenge

Attorney Whose Firm Is Dubbed ‘Radical Law’ Takes Out Declaration of Intent to Seek Open Seat; Deputy District Attorney Candice Henry Unopposed for Open Seat as of Late Afternoon

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Uncertainty looms as to whether Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Walgren will face opposition in the June 2 primary election, with the self-styled “radical” lawyer who filed a declaration of intent to run for the office he occupies filing papers yesterday indicating a desire to seek an open seat.

A candidate who lists himself as “Dan ‘Z-Man’ Kapelovitz,” on Feb. 2 filed a declaration of intent to run against Walgren who, he insists, is pro-prosecution. Yesterday, Kapelovitz took out a declaration to run for Office No. 64, an open seat, and filed it, also taking out nominating papers for the office.

There was uncertainty also as to whether Deputy District Attorney Candice Henry is assured of a judgeship. As of late afternoon, only she had filed a declaration to run for Office No. 196.

Yesterday was the deadline for filing declarations of intent for open seats and was the first day for filing out nominating papers. Candidacies are perfecting upon the filing of nominating papers, due March 6, with a five-day extension in running for seats held by a judge who filed a declaration of intent but did not perfect his or her candidacy.

Kapelovitz thus has until March 6 to decide whether to oppose Walgren or seek the open seat.

Multiple declarations may be filed and nominating papers may be taken out for align more than one office, but nominating papers may only be submitted for a single office.

Incomplete information appears below, reflecting only what was known as of press time.

Deputy District Attorney

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Benyomin “Benny” Forer indicated an intent to join the list of contenders for Office No. 66, filing a declaration of intent and taking out nominating papers yesterday.

A graduate of Southwestern University School of Law, he has worked for the District Attorney’s Office since 2005. His LinkedIn profile indicates that he has prosecuted a wide range of cases, from narcotics offenses to gang murders, and served as a member of the Cyber Crime Unit from 2012-21.

Currently assigned to the mental health courts, Forer has also served as an adjunct assistant professor for the USC Viterbi School of Engineering since 2014, teaching topics of cyber law and privacy issues to undergraduate students.

Also vying for Office No. 66 are Chief Assistant Glendale City Attorney Ann M. Maurer and private practitioner Cheryl C. Turner, a Democrat who is also eying a race for state senator from District 28 and for the state Board of Equalization from the Third District. Both attorneys filed declarations of intent last week

Deputy District Attorney Candice J. Henry, who filed paperwork for the last remaining open seat, No. 196, on Friday, was unopposed as of late yesterday afternoon.

A deputy public defender, Zachary Smith, has taken out a declaration of intent to compete with Deputy District Attorney Gloria Marin in the race for Office No. 176, but had not yet submitted the filing as of press time.

Additional Offices

Two candidates who had already expressed interest in other seats yesterday filed declarations for additional offices. Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Adjunct Professor David DeJute, who last week expressed an interest in Office Nos. 181 and 87, pulled papers for Office No. 60 yesterday and filed declarations of intent for all three offices.

The Harvard University Law School alumnus and former assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California argued on behalf of the government in the so-called “birther” challenge to President Barack Obama’s natural-born-citizen qualification.

Also running for Office No. 60 is Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Rosalba Luz Gutierrez, who filed a declaration of intent to run for that seat, in late January. She took out nominating papers yesterday.

Goul has endorsed Gutierrez, who has been licensed to practice since 2010 and earned a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Office No. 181

Los Angeles County Deputy Alternate Public Defender David Ross—who filed paperwork to run for Office No. 131 on Jan. 27—filed a declaration of intent for Office No. 181 yesterday. Ross is a graduate of the University of West Los Angeles School of Law and has been licensed to practice in the state since 1994.

Thanayi Lindsey, an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings. who received a public reproval from the State Bar in 2011, also declared an intent to run for that seat last week. Her disciplinary record related to two matters in which she failed to complete work for which she had been paid and another case in which she was faulted for delaying in providing an accounting to a client.

Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Special Assistant Irene Lee yesterday confirmed her intent to run for Office No. 14 by filing a declaration of intent, as did Chellei Jimenez, a family law attorney who has said she is running for Office No. 65.

Incumbent Challenges

Last week, Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson filed an intent to challenge Superior Court Judge Pat Connelly in the race for Seat No. 116.

Two contenders submitted papers for Seat No. 2 against Superior Court Judge Robert S. Draper, who is under investigation by the Commission on Judicial Performance based on bizarre statements and a concern that the jurist, who is seeing a psychiatrist, might be suffering from a disability.

Deputy District Attorney Tal K. Valbuena and attorney Allan L. Dollison, who was suspended in 2001 while himself under psychiatric care, each filed declarations for Office No. 2 on Jan. 30.

Superior Court Judge David Walgren, holding Office No. 81, has drawn a challenge from self-proclaimed “radical lawyer” Dan Kapelovitz.

Rundown of Filings

As of mid-afternoon yesterday, there were these filings for open seats:

Office No. 14: Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Angie Christides, Administrative Law Judge Carlos Dammeier, Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office Special Assistant Irene M. Lee.

Office No. 39: Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Angie Christides and Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Binh Q. Dang.

Office No. 60: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Adjunct Professor David DeJute, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Rosalba Luz Gutierrez, and Chief Assistant Glendale City Attorney Ann M. Maurer.

Office No. 64: Private practitioner Frank Amador, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Maria Lisa Ghobadi, Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Rhonda Haymon, and West Hollywood attorney Dan Kapelovitz.

Office No. 65: Deputy Public Defender Justin Allen Clayton, family law attorney Chellei Jimenez, Northridge attorney Samuel Wolloch Krause, and Los Angeles’ Deputy County Counsel Anna Slotky Reitano.

Office No. 66: Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Benny Forer, Chief Assistant Glendale City Attorney Ann M. Maurer, and private practitioner Cheryl C. Turner.

Office No. 87: Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Anthony (A.J.) Bayne, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Adjunct Professor David DeJute, and Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Sharee Sanders Gordon.

Office No. 131: Los Angeles Deputy Alternate Public Defender David Ross and Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Donna Tryfman.

Office No. 141: Administrative Law Judge Carlos Dammeier, Northridge attorney Samuel Wolloch Krause, and Deputy District Attorney Mariela Torres.

Office No. 176: Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Gloria Marin and Deputy Public Defender Zachary Smith.

Office No. 181: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Adjunct Professor David DeJute, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Ryan Dibble, Administrative Law Judge Thanayi Lindsey, and Los Angeles Deputy Alternate Public Defender David Ross.

Office No. 196: Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Candice Henry.