Tribunal Superior de California, Condado de San DiegoCandidato para Juez, Cargo 35

I have been a Deputy Public Defender for the past eight years where I have tried approximately 40 trials to verdict.  In 2016, I was awarded the William Fletcher Award by the North County Bar Association for excellent indigent defense. 

Currently, I am a Commissioner for the City of Vista’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) which is a commission who awards funding from a U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant to local nonprofits that address homelessness, substance abuse, and gang prevention for the citizens of Vista. I have worked with the Resilience Project to help create uniformed Police Citizen Review Boards throughout San Diego County to provide citizens a forum to report negative encounters with law enforcement.  And, I have worked with Clean Slate Clinics and Veteran’s Standdowns to help indigent citizens resolve outstanding cases and clean their past criminal records.   

Prior to becoming a Deputy Public Defender, I spent approximately five years as a civilian law clerk, for the United States Marine Corps’ Commandant’s Counsel aboard Camp Pendleton, where I was assigned to the Labor & Employment, Litigation, and Ethics section.

While in law school, I was a legal fellow in Senator Boxer’s San Diego District Office where I was assigned a portfolio comprised of Intelligence, Defense, Foreign Relations, and Judiciary issues.  Prior to interning for Senator Boxer’s District Office, I was a legal fellow on Capitol Hill, for the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office, where I was assigned to the Democratic Policy Committee.

I am a "non-constructionist,” thus I believe that the United States and California Constitutions are living documents that adapt to change as our society continues to evolve.  Public Safety and equity are not competing ideals in my campaign.  I believe in criminal justice reform.  I strongly believe that every litigant deserves their "day in court” and the right to be heard in a completely impartial forum. Finally, I believe that police officers should be held to the same level of accountablilty as all other litigants and witnesses appearing before me.