Would-Be Judges Decide Not to Toy With White

Terence Kilbride and a handful of other local prosecutors were all set to vie for a seat that opened on the Superior Court bench this week.

But they quickly abandoned those plans Friday when they found out that Assistant Dist. Atty. Colleen Toy White would provide the competition.

“You’d have to be an absolute lunatic to run against Toy White,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew J. Hardy, a Democrat. “ . . . You’d have a better shot at running against Mother Teresa in this county than Toy White.”

White, a longtime advocate of victims’ rights and Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury’s right-hand prosecutor, appears to have scared away all other comers for the seat being vacated by Judge Edwin M. Osborne.

Osborne, a county judge since 1973, announced earlier this week that he will not seek a sixth term on the bench.

The announcement raised the hopes of Kilbride and several other local attorneys who had aspirations of replacing Osborne.

Kilbride, a longtime deputy district attorney and a former Ventura school board member, had gone so far as visiting his bank to withdraw the $993 fee he would need to file as a candidate for the post. By Friday, he was headed back to the bank.

“I was going to file,” Kilbride said. “But now that I know Toy is in the race, I feel that the Superior Court seat will be in hands that are capable.”

Hardy said many lawyers in the district attorney’s office were surprised to learn of White’s intentions to run for judge. Many believed she was more interested in succeeding Bradbury whenever he steps down as the county’s top prosecutor.

White, however, said Friday that her mind is made up: She wants to sit on the Superior Court bench.

After 17 years as a prosecutor, the Camarillo resident said, it is time to change gears.

“I see it as a natural progression,” she said. “There are certain things you can accomplish as a district attorney. But as a judge, your ability to do those things is expanded.”

Bradbury was one of the first to announce his support for White, who has been his chief assistant for eight years.

“She’ll bring tremendous knowledge and strength to the court,” Bradbury said. “She is a person who is committed to maintaining a safe community and seeing that justice is available for everybody.

“She’s bright, hard-working and you couldn’t find a more qualified person,” he said.

Bradbury doubts that White will face any serious challengers.

According to prosecutors, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary K. Barrett paid the filing fee before learning that White would seek the post. Barrett could not be reach for comment, but some of his colleagues who did not want to be identified said he also changed his mind once White announced her candidacy.

Osborne, who has served five terms, said he plans to leave the bench within two months. Officials in Gov. Pete Wilson’s office said the governor does not plan to appoint anyone to Osborne’s seat before the June primary election.

If White is unopposed or receives more than half of the vote, she would be eligible for appointment to the seat.

White’s ascent to assistant district attorney from a poor, rural Oklahoma upbringing has earned her universal praise.

She was married at the age of 16, had her first child as a high school senior and moved to Ventura County to raise a family six years later.

She enrolled in Ventura College of Law after concluding that a lawyer representing her sister in a divorce action was inept. In her third year of law school, White and her husband themselves were divorced, although they remain friends.

In seven years, White rose from law clerk to her current job. As a Superior Court judge, she would earn $99,000 a year.

“She’s not like a lot of lawyers who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth. . .,” Hardy said. “She’s somebody who knows what a real victim looks like, how to support a victim, and has a ton of passion for victims.”

On Friday, White was busy taking telephone calls from people who had heard about her announcement and wanted to get involved in her campaign.

“I want to see Ventura County as a safe, good place for people to live,” she said between phone calls. “I’ve been here since 1968, and that’s what my commitment is.”