Candidate for
Superior Court Judge, Room 1; County of Mendocino

I firmly believe that a judge must act with continuing integrity and professionalism, and treat all who come into the courtroom with respect and dignity.

All crimes will be taken seriously in my courtroom. Crimes of rape, elder abuse, child abuse, drunken driving, gang violence, crimes committed with firearms or other weapons, will all be handled quickly to alleviate the harm to potentially additional victims.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of alternative dispute resolution, and have extensive training in this area. The position of judge is not about being an advocate for either party, and my education and hands-on experience in this area makes me highly qualified to provide these processes to the court system. As an additional and equally important component, it is my intention to form and support courts that would fast-track elder abuse cases, and establish courts that would address gang violence, veteran's issues, and mental health issues. I will push strongly to maintain teen drug court, and diversion programs for those nonviolent offenders suffering from alcohol, drug or mental illness that could be better served through treatment.

I would like to implement systems that would aid our outlying rural communities, eliminating the need to drive long distances and lose precious work days, prior to jury selection, which may include the use of questionnaires generated via email, and using intellectual technology resources to perform remote location examination of jurors. I would also work diligently to open or maintain court services in outlying rural areas. I would strive to implement a pre-approval calendar so that attorneys and their clients do not have to appear unnecessarily in court to obtain a ruling on an uncontested matter.