League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Judge of the Superior Court; County of Los Angeles; Office 97

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Qualifications, Alternative Sentences for Non-Violent Offenders Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What specific personal qualities make you especially qualified to be a judge? Answer from Teresa P. Magno: My 17 years experience as an attorney and my extensive courtroom experience successfully trying some of the most serious and complex murder cases in the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office will enable me to be a just, fair, knowledgeable, and efficient judge. Answer from Songhai "Sunny" Armstead: I have had a wide range of legal experience due to the types of matters I have handled in the last decade for the LA City Attorney's Office--everything from aggressively prosecuting domestic violence and battery, anti-piracy and counterfeiting, working with downtown businesses on the myriad of City ordinances, to mediating and facilitating complex disputes. I have worked with everyone from CEOs and government leaders to homeless Veterans. I have spent years in our courts and as much time keeping people from clogging the court/jail system and finding more efficient ways to prosecute! I am a supervising prosecuting attorney, trained mediator, mediation and conflict resolution professor, cultural competency and social and emotional intelligence consultant and community volunteer. 2. Do you favor alternative sentences for non-violent offenders in view of the current prisoner overcrowding problems, and if so, what options should be available? Answer from Teresa P. Magno: I favor alternative sentencing schemes for non-violent offenders, simply because public safety requires that priority be given to maximizing available space for violent offenders. Additionally, imposing prison time in certain cases, such as non-violent cases where drug use induced the crime, is a "band-aid" solution to the problem. Offering an intensive drug treatment program instead of jail time is more effective because it goes to the heart of the problem. Answer from Songhai "Sunny" Armstead: Yes. I created and now oversee Operation VALOR (Veterans' Alternative Legal Options and Resources) designed to direct non-violent Veteran's out of the traditional court system into restorative justice programs which include housing and services and HALO (Homeless Alternatives to Living On the Street) a restorative justice program for homeless, mentally ill, addicted and/or co-occurring disorder populations. In 2013, I received an LAPD Police Commission Distinguished Service Medal for my work. We need room in our jails for violent criminals and now release them early because of overcrowding so alternatives are a must. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' answers are presented as submitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.