Tuesday, February 17, 2026
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Possible Challenger to Judge Walgren Eyes Third Office
By a MetNews Staff Writer
There is now a second indicator that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Walgren might not face a challenge in the June 2 election, with the lawyer who filed a declaration of intent to oppose him declaring that he might run for attorney general.
The lawyer, who lists himself as “Dan ‘Z-Man’ Kapelovitz,” has filed a declaration of intent to run for Walgren’s seat as well as for an open seat and has taken out nominating papers for both offices.
Kapelovitz advised late Wednesday:
“I just filed my Candidate Intention Statement (Form 501), my candidate statement, and my photo to the Secretary of State to be eligible to run for the office of Attorney General.
“I was recruited by some people who really wanted me to run for the Attorney General seat. But I am still deciding whether to run for Attorney General or for judge, and, if for judge, which judicial seat I will ultimately run for.”
Kapelovitz—who calls his law firm, which has no office, “Radical Law”—ran for attorney general in 2022. He came in last in a field of five candidates in the primary, garnering 3.2% of the votes.
He ran in the recall/special election for governor in 2021. He placed 15th in the massive field, with .9% of the ballots in his favor.
In 2024, he ran for district attorney of Los Angeles County, finishing last in a field of 12 candidates, amassing 1.2% of the votes.
Explaining his use of “Z Man” as part of his name, Kapelovitz said that “he’s the name of a character in the best film of all time, ‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,’ written by Roger Ebert and directed by Russ Meyer.”
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