League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Songhai "Sunny" Armstead Answers Questions Candidate for 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.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What specific personal qualities make you especially qualified to be a judge?

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?

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.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' answers are presented as submitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 29, 2014 16:13
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