Schwartz, Hauptman, Coen, Block as Judges : Endorsements for four seats on the Superior Court

H ere are The Times’ endorsements in four judicial races for Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

Office No. 4: Teri Schwartz

This race presents a difficult choice. Thomas H. Parrott is a Superior Court commissioner who since his appointment in 1990 has heard criminal, family law and civil cases. Parrott brings broad experience to the bench; he has been a police officer, a college instructor, a reserve deputy sheriff and a private attorney. But he has had difficulty managing his caseload, a problem in this large and chronically crowded court system.

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has rated Parrott as “qualified” but rated his opponent, Teri Schwartz, “well qualified.” Schwartz is a prosecutor with the hard-core gang division of the L. A. district attorney’s office; previously she handled both criminal and civil cases while a private practitioner. Her experience is more limited than Parrott’s, but Schwartz has won the respect of lawyers and judges for her skill, intelligence and demeanor. (A third candidate, Samuel Rubino, appears on the ballot but has withdrawn from the race.) We endorse Schwartz.

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Office No. 23: H. Ronald Hauptman

The choice here is clear. Superior Court Commissioner H. Ronald Hauptman is an experienced and capable jurist. A commissioner since 1984, Hauptman has heard mostly criminal cases, presiding very much like a judge. Previously, he spent 23 years in private legal practice. The county bar rates Hauptman as “well qualified.” Not so his opponent, Municipal Court Judge Marlene A. Kristovich, who was rated “not qualified.” Appointed to the Municipal Court in 1990 after practicing tax law, Kristovich has heard both civil and criminal matters. Her experience and knowledge of the law notwithstanding, Kristovich has a reputation as being abrasive and inconsistent. We endorse Hauptman.

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Office No. 39: Ronald S. Coen

Although the bar has rated Coen, the incumbent, as “qualified,” while his challenger, Charles J. Fleishman, was rated “well qualified,” the bottom line is that Fleishman, a private attorney, seems to have entered this race to settle a grudge with Coen about a ruling by the judge in a medical malpractice lawsuit. That is not enough to sustain a candidacy, and Fleishman has trouble articulating a larger vision of why he wants the court seat.

Coen has a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense judge; critics say he can also be rigid, even impatient. While he would do well to take those comments as instructive, his rulings have held up well on appeal. We endorse Coen.

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Office No. 93: Mitchell Block

None of the five candidates stands out dramatically. Donald Barnett, a Century City attorney for 32 years, lost in a campaign to unseat Judge Joyce Karlin two years ago. Mitchell Block, a Municipal Court commissioner for the last seven years, has heard criminal and civil matters. Susan Bryant-Deason is a federal prosecutor who specializes in narcotics cases. Gary Robert Einstein is an Eastside attorney who handles mostly civil cases. John P. Schock is a Glendale attorney who has handled mostly commercial cases for more than 20 years.

The race comes down to Block and Bryant-Deason, the only two rated “well qualified” by the bar association. Block can claim he will not have to learn how to conduct himself as a bench officer. Bryant-Deason is an aggressive prosecutor, but she showed poor judgment a few years ago in keeping notations that led to charges that the U.S. attorney’s office improperly targeted blacks and Latinos for dealing drugs near schools. We give the slight edge to Block.