Sandoval declares candidacy for Superior Court Judge

"There is an appalling lack of diversity on the bench"

District 11 Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval
Photo courtesy Gerardo Sandoval

By Luke Thomas

January 31, 2008, 2:20 a.m.

District 11 Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval will officially declare his candidacy for Superior Court Judge today, Fog City Journal has learned.

Citing a lack of diversity on the bench, Sandoval wrote in a statement to Fog City Journal, "There is an appalling lack of diversity on the bench in San Francisco and California in terms of legal background, community values and ethnicity."

Sandoval, who terms out of office this year, said he will challenge incumbent Thomas A. Mellon, a Republican appointed by Governor Pete Wilson in 1994.

"Judicial appointments by governors have left us no choice but to exercise the safeguard given to us under the California Constitution of going to the voters," Sandoval wrote.

Sandoval cited a recent California Bar Association study that documented the lack of diversity and found that "elections to judgeships can serve as a viable option for increasing diversity on the bench." (Diversity Pipeline, February 2007)

"Many judges do not live in San Francisco. Only two out of sixty-six judges and commissioners are Hispanic. Almost thirty percent are Republican. Most are former corporate or business attorneys. This does not reflect San Francisco," Sandoval added.

Among those endorsing Supervisor Sandoval are both of San Francisco's state Senators Carole Migden and Leland Yee; Assemblywoman Fiona Ma; Public Defender Jeff Adachi; seven members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors including Supervisors Tom Ammiano, Bevan Dufty and President of the Board Aaron Peskin; the Honorable Cruz Reynoso, a former California Supreme Court Justice; Victor M. Marquez, President of the Hispanic National Bar Association; John Transvina, President and General Counsel MALDEF; and Walter Johnson, President San Francisco Labor Council (retired).

More information

www.SandovalforJudge.com.

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