In Our Judgment

On March 5, county voters will be asked to choose judges for seven open or contested seats on the Los Angeles Superior Court. The Times makes the following endorsements in these races:

Office No. 2: Hank Goldberg, a deputy district attorney who, during his more than 15 years with the office, has handled a wide range of prosecutions, including a number of high-profile cases. He also has broad experience training new prosecutors and has written and lectured extensively. Goldberg’s opponents for this open seat are a private practitioner in Santa Monica and a workers’ compensation judge. Goldberg has won high marks from colleagues and judges for his temperament, sincerity and skill in the courtroom.

Office No. 39: This open-seat race includes two unimpressive and relatively inexperienced prosecutors and a perennial candidate for the bench. We nod toward one of the newcomers, Richard Naranjo, because of his 10 years as a deputy district attorney and his nearly 15 years in business, a non-legal background that is rare on the bench.

Office No. 40: Superior Court Judge Floyd Baxter is being challenged by an attorney-arbitrator. The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. has rated the challenger as “not qualified” and Baxter as “well qualified,” and we see no reason to oppose the reelection of this capable sitting judge. We endorse Baxter.

Office No. 53: Of the four candidates running for this open seat, we support Lauren Weis, a deputy district attorney who has the experience to make a good judge. A prosecutor for 23 years, Weis helped make major improvements in the way local law enforcement agencies handle sexual assault victims and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes. She has a worthy opponent in longtime private lawyer Hurschell Don Christian, but we favor Weis because of her evident commitment to be a judge.

Office No. 67: In this open seat, we support Paul Bacigalupo, the supervising judge for the state bar who hears lawyer discipline and misconduct cases. Bacigalupo has a strong background in civil law and a “well qualified” rating from the bar. One of his three opponents is David Gelfound, a talented deputy district attorney who may one day become a judge. But in this election, Bacigalupo has the maturity and breadth of experience for the job.

Office No. 90: We endorse incumbent Judge Robert Simpson. The bar association rated Simpson highly and his challenger, a Glendale lawyer, less so. Simpson is a skilled and solid jurist who brought years of broad experience as a civil practitioner to the bench. He should be reelected.

Office No. 100: Richard Walmark, a deputy district attorney for 16 years, has earned the bar’s “well qualified” rating because of the depth of his experience as a prosecutor. Not so for his challengers for this open seat, one of whom was rated as “not qualified.” We support Walmark.