Anna Slotky Reitano

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Anna Slotky Reitano

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Occidental College, 2005

Law

UC Davis School of Law, 2008

Personal

Profession

Deputy public defender

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Anna Slotky Reitano ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Slotky Reitano completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Anna Slotky Reitano earned a bachelor's degree from Occidental College in 2005 and a law degree from the UC Davis School of Law in 2008. Her career experience includes working as a deputy public defender.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2022)

General election

General election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Abby Baron defeated Anna Slotky Reitano in the general election for Superior Court of Los Angeles County on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abby Baron (Nonpartisan)	55.3	1,026,777
		Anna Slotky Reitano (Nonpartisan)	44.7	829,766

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,856,543
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County

Abby Baron and Anna Slotky Reitano defeated Sharon Ransom, Troy Slaten, and Mark Rosenfeld in the primary for Superior Court of Los Angeles County on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abby Baron (Nonpartisan)	30.3	387,025
✔		Anna Slotky Reitano (Nonpartisan)	28.1	359,512
		Sharon Ransom (Nonpartisan)	22.1	282,196
		Troy Slaten (Nonpartisan)	10.0	128,024
	Submit photo	Mark Rosenfeld (Nonpartisan)	9.4	120,711

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,277,468
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Slotky Reitano's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Anna Slotky Reitano completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Slotky Reitano's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a mother as well as a Deputy Public Defender who has had a career ensuring that the Constitution protects everyone, not just the few. I am proud of providing high-quality legal counsel to the low income.

In law school I worked as a certified clerk with the District Attorney's office arguing motions in court, but I did not see myself as a prosecutor. After law school, I worked in civil and administrative law for a few years, but jumped at the chance to work in trials after I was hired by the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office. I have worked as a Public Defender now for over 8 years.

A Deputy Public Defender has never been elected to the bench. I hope to be one of the first. Through defending the rights of the poorest members of our community, I have extensive trial experience and have handled everything from low level misdemeanors to cases as serious as murder. Three years of my career were devoted to representing children. I currently work in and with the community every day in felony trials.

I believe the depth of my experience with the community, as well as having experience in civil and criminal, makes me a unique candidate. I look forward to having the opportunity to serve the County of Los Angeles.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• As the only candidate who chose to work with the poorest members of our county, I know the root cause of why people end up in the criminal justice system and what works to prevent them from cycling back in- promoting public safety through prevention. As a judge, I will already have the background experience to inform my analysis of new options and programs targeted at preventing over incarceration.

• Maintain the integrity of the courts. ensuring fairness to all parties, while also ensuring public safety.

• To provide balance on the bench through diversity of thought, experience, and background as the only Deputy Public Defender running for this seat.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Fairness in the courts and maintaining judicial integrity.

I believe that the key to keeping the judiciary independent is to have balanced perspectives and backgrounds amongst judges. In judicial elections, only former prosecutors and private attorneys have been elected to the bench. My work in defending the diverse people of Los Angeles has given me the unique position of knowing why people come into the system, and what works to stop them from cycling back into it.

Los Angeles County has the largest jail system in the world, and it also doubles as the largest mental health care facility. We can and should do better. We need judges who understand mental health disorders, developmental disabilities, and are willing to use the tools available through the law to protect public safety through ensuring access to treatment. Some of those options include the collaborative courts and mental health diversion. I plan to offer a fresh perspective and a robust background to inform my work in the courts.

My experience has given me exactly what I need to adapt to new laws and meet the needs of a changing legal landscape. I have experience seeking diagnoses, treatment, housing, and services for my clients- with amazing results. My goal in running for judge was to offer a more balanced perspective, informed by my work and ability to find solutions for our community.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I believe that judges must remain fair and neutral to all parties before them. I do not believe in judicial activism. Thus, I believe personal beliefs and passions should not affect decisions when applying the law. Instead, if there are any ambiguities, I would look to the law itself, the precedent of other decisions made regarding that law, and, if necessary, the legislative intent, as far as guidance on how to properly enforce the law.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes. Empathy is important, as it will shape how judges treat people directly in their courts. Empathy is necessary to view all sides and stakes in any matter before the courts with understanding, and to foster trust in decisions that have to be made that affect all parties. However, it does not mean judges can ignore or bend the law to support their personal feelings on any matter.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

The Los Angeles County Bar Association said that I have the professional ability, experience, competence, integrity and temperament indicative of fitness to perform the judicial function satisfactorily.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Typically in judicial elections, only attorneys coming from big private firms or the prosecutor's office run for judge. I believe that if we only put people in these seats that are used to operating from positions of power, be it prosecution or private practice, we are doing a disservice to our communities, and to the majority of people who find themselves involved in the criminal system.

We need more diversity in our judges and their back ground and experience, and that means we need trial attorneys who are familiar with the folks who are involved in the criminal courts, as well as the programs and practices that help with preventing recidivism (like mental health diversion and using the collaborative courts), to ensure accountability as well as to support to folks who qualify.

Los Angeles has the biggest jail system in the world, and it also doubles as the largest mental health facility. Most incarcerated people, even if they are sentenced to the maximum sentence, will eventually be released. The bulk of offenses committed are not life cases, and the sentences are capped at a certain maximum, so most defendants do end up released at some point.

The reality is that when we are only electing judges whose focus has been on obtaining the maximum sentence, then we are really losing out on the experience and understanding necessary to embrace new laws aimed at treating and preventing future crimes down the road.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Superior Court of Los Angeles County

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Footnotes

California courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

State courts:

California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

State resources:

Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California