Candidate for
Judge-Superior Court; County of Los Angeles; Office 28

I come from a pro-union working class family in Los Angeles. Throughout my life my family and I have known struggle, hard work and, finally, the joy of overcoming struggle by hard work. My mother was an elementary school teacher and my father was a migrant farm worker who later worked in construction.

When my mother was a child, she and her family were forced to relocate from their home here in Los Angeles to the internment camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Nonetheless, both my mother and aunt graduated from UCLA. Unlike my mother, my father never had the opportunity to attend college. He was from a family of 6 brothers and sisters and had to drop out of school to work as a migrant farm worker in order to help support his family.

When I was young, we lived in government subsidized housing in Mar Vista. My father worked two jobs in order to support us which allowed my mother to finish college. My parents wanted a better life for me and stressed the values of hard work and importance of getting a good education. I went to elementary school in the Crenshaw district and later attended Henry Clay Jr. High. I worked in construction while at Gardena High School. I went to college at UC Berkeley. Because of their support and my hard work, I was accepted at Harvard Law School. I worked during my entire time in law school to pay for my books and living expenses. I paid tuition by taking out student loans.

I have been practicing law since 1986. I spent the first 13 years of my career working in large and small Los Angeles law firms and, finally, in my own practice. During those years I volunteered as an arbitrator and settlement officer for the Los Angeles Superior Court (1994-1998). Then, in 1999 I realized that I needed to be of public service and give back to our community. I took a significant pay cut and became a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles. During my 11 years as a prosecutor I have worked for the Consumer Protection Unit and Identity Theft and Fraud Unit, among others, at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. I was also appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Major Frauds Section (4/08-4/11).

I have been fortunate. I have worked hard, struggled and learned about overcoming hardship through hard work. I have nearly 24 years of both civil and criminal law experience. I have litigated complex real estate and construction matters and prosecuted both misdemeanors and felonies.

My life experiences and personal background qualifies me as a judicial officer who will understand the intricacies of an ethnically and culturally diverse community like Los Angeles. I ask for your support and your vote on June 8, 2010.