I have over 30 years of experience in the justice system both inside and outside the courtroom. First, as a victim advocate, I assisted victims of domestic violence obtain civil restraining order assistance, court support, and support resources. As a trial attorney specializing in sexual assault and child abuse cases, I fought for justice for survivors and prosecuted over 90 jury trials to verdict. I then on to teach attorneys and first responders about sexual assault, the law. I have led entire divisions as a Deputy-in-Charge in the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office including the Inglewood Juvenile Division and worked with justice partners to find smarter dispositions that included proven diversion programs and treatment for mental health and addiction while also strengthened public safety. Upon obtaining a J.D. from Loyola Law School, I represented injured workers and plaintiffs in civil litigation matters for two years prior to becoming a Deputy District Attorney. I also volunteer my time to teach about how due process in both English and Spanish. Beyond my professional qualifications, I will also bring real life experience to the bench both as an immigrant and a cancer survivor. I will rely on my experience to make sound decisions rooted in the law and Constitution. As a judge, I will serve with impartiality, transparency, and compassion.

As largest trial court in the nation, the Los Angeles County Court has made meaningful progress in modernizing and increasing access to justice. For example, expanding remote court reporting, implementing juror check-in kiosks, improvement to the website, and enhancing assistance for self-represented litigants have increased accessibility. However, significant challenges remain. Persistent case backlogs lead to prolonged uncertainty for litigants, increase cost, and delay criminal cases. Better technology and language access will help access so that justice is timely, understandable, and equitable for every Angeleno. On the bench, my priority will be to help move cases forward efficiently while upholding due process and public safety. I will deliver fair, timely resolutions that maintain public confidence in the rule of law.

I am running to serve as a Superior Court Judge because our community deserves judges who reflect its values and have the characteristics to serve honorably. Based on my own experiences over 25 years of practice in court, I believe judges should be calm, fair, respectful, and have no agenda other than adherence and accountability to the law and the promotion of justice. Judges should remain calm and ego-less in their work as servants for the community using their knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Fairness requires empathy and recognition of every person’s humanity, treating them the same as someone with whom a judge may personally identify. When interpreting how a law applies to facts, rulings should reflect the law’s intended purpose rather than a preferred outcome. I was born and raised in Washington D.C., the 4th child in a middle-class multiracial family that grew to ten children, seven girls and three boys, five biological and five through foster care and adoption, seven White and three Black, eight heterosexual and two gay. My parents emphasized integrity, equality, fairness, gratitude, humility, empathy, and kindness, lessons I repeat to my two young daughters. I earned a B.S. from Guilford College in 1995 and my J.D. from the public interest-oriented City University of New York School of Law in 2000. I began my career representing juveniles in delinquency cases and abused and neglected children in child protective proceedings for the Legal Aid Society of NYC, Juvenile Rights Division. I have spent the last 23 years protecting the civil rights of L.A. County residents and the integrity of the court system as a Deputy Public Defender, rising to the highest grade of trial attorney, able to handle special circumstance death penalty eligible murder cases. In that time I have tried 63 jury trials and 65 juvenile bench trials while representing thousands of clients. My vast experience has provided the wisdom necessary to best serve the people of Los Angeles.

The people within the court system work very well. Court staff, Public Defenders, and District Attorneys are diligent and hardworking. The most glaring need is for additional resources, particularly in the area of mental health and drug treatment to adequately serve the needs of the community. I have often worked collaboratively with prosecutors to find alternatives to incarceration that protects the public’s need for safety and accountability while helping clients solve their underlying struggles that have led to crime, thereby avoiding re-offense to the benefit of both society and my clients’ chances for a good life. There have been huge advances in rehabilitation but a lack of resources have made the progress slow and increase the chance of failure.