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David Lopez (California)
David Lopez ran for election for judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County in California. He lost in the primary on June 5, 2018.
Biography
David Lopez earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside and a J.D. from the University of San Diego, School of Law. His career experience includes working as a deputy public defender for Los Angeles County and a deputy district attorney.[1]
Elections
2018
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of San Bernardino County
Incumbent Arthur Harrison won election outright against David Lopez in the primary for Superior Court of San Bernardino County on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Arthur Harrison (Nonpartisan) | 64.2 | 151,600 |
 | David Lopez (Nonpartisan) | 35.8 | 84,434 | |
| Total votes: 236,034 | |||
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Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election
The 1,535 judges of the California Superior Courts compete in nonpartisan races in even-numbered years. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.[2][3][4][5]
If an incumbent judge is running unopposed in an election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot. The judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[2]
The chief judge of any given superior court is selected by peer vote of the court's members. He or she serves in that capacity for one or two years, depending on the county.[2]
Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[2]
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I believe my background and experience make me uniquely qualified to serve as a Judicial Officer. I am a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, and the University of California, School of Law. I have been an attorney for 32 years and fortunate to have had the opportunity to work both as a Defense lawyer for the first part of my career, and as a prosecutor during the past 28 years. Is there anything you would like to add? As a Public Defender from 1986 to 1989, I handled all aspects of criminal defense and conducted approximately 40 to 60 jury trials. As a Deputy District Attorney for the past 29 years, I have worked in a variety of settings and have conducted approximately 100 jury trials (most involving serious and/or violent felonies) with a 100% conviction rate on all felonies. I have been assigned to key specialized prosecution units, including the Sex Crimes Unit, specializing in Adult and Child Assault and Molestations; worked with the Auto Insurance Fraud Division, specializing in major fraud perpetrated by doctors, lawyers, and other white collar offenders; and was responsible for implementing the voter-approved Proposition 36 in the Superior Court, for minor, non-violent drug offenders. Although punishment is a deterrent to crime, I am a firm believer in education, early intervention, and diversion strategies. For six years, I was assigned to the Abolish Chronic Truancy Program (A.C.T.), an innovative crime prevention program that gained National and International attention in shifting the focus from prosecution and incarceration toward parental education and responsibility in reducing school truancy. A failed school experience is the major precursor to crime.[6] |
” |
| —David Lopez[1] | ||
See also
- Courts in California
- Local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Municipal elections in San Bernardino County, California (2018)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on May 16, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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
