WHY I AM THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE

By Susan Bernardini

In the primary election, I was endorsed by the San Jose Mercury News for my "dedication to fairness and innovation in the court system" and I was the front runner by almost 10 percentage points. On October 11, 2000, I was again endorsed by the Mercury News as "clearly the better candidate for the bench" because of my broad experience.

There is a critical need for judges with criminal law experience and I am the only candidate with that experience. Two-thirds of all Superior Court Judges are assigned to handle criminal cases. Currently, six retired judges are assigned to hear criminal cases because of unfilled vacancies.

For over 13 years I have worked exclusively in the criminal justice system as a government attorney with the public defender's office. I have handled thousands of felony and misdemeanor cases, represented juveniles, adults and the mentally ill, argued successfully before the California Supreme Court, supervised and trained lawyers and appeared on the PBS broadcast, "Crime & Punishment in America."

As a government attorney, I have represented the public defender's office on countywide committees to work with other agencies to solve problems and to improve our legal system. As a member of the County's Mental Health Jail Diversion Committee, I helped develop a treatment program for the mentally ill as a possible alternative to jail. I was instrumental in the reorganization felony drug cases which reduced the drug cases awaiting trial by 50% and developed rehabilitation programs for nonviolent drug offenders. These efforts have saved the County money, relieved jail overcrowding and improved the lives of many Santa Clara County residents.

I have worked with representatives of the Board of Supervisors, the County Executive's Office, Probation Department, Department of Corrections, Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office and Superior Court Judges. I have earned their respect as a hard worker and problem solver.

I am endorsed by 22 Superior Court Judges, and all major law enforcement associations in Santa Clara County including the largest police officers' association in California called PORAC. PORAC is a leader in fighting for legislation to protect the health and safety of California citizens and represents more than 640 law enforcement associations. I have also received the endorsements the Asian Pacific Lawyers' Association, the Black Lawyers' Association, LaRaza Lawyers' Association and the Women Lawyers' Committee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.