Attorney makes November ballot

Paul Clinton

COSTA MESA -- Three lawsuits and almost a year later, Costa Mesa

attorney Gay Sandoval has won her public crusade to see her name on the

November ballot for a judge seat.

On Wednesday, a judge sided with Sandoval and ordered Orange County

Registrar Rosalyn Lever to place Sandoval’s name on the ballot for the

seat now held by Judge Ronald Kline, who is facing criminal charges of

child molestation and child pornography.

Superior Court Judge John Woolley, in the decision, ordered Sandoval’s

name to be added to a ballot that also includes John Adams. Both

candidates are running for Kline’s Office No. 21.

“It’s been a long drawn out affair with every known obstacle,”

Sandoval said Wednesday. “But they were overcome.”

Sandoval placed third in the March 5 primary election for the seat

that featured 11 write-in candidates vying to unseat Kline. Adams, who

won 33.2%, and Kline, who won 32%, outpaced Sandoval’s 10.8% vote total.

On June 21, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe pulled Kline

off the ballot -- agreeing with dueling lawsuits filed by Sandoval and

the besieged judge.

With Kline gone, a race that had garnered national media attention

could lose its steam. Adams, a Dana Point attorney, said he hopes the

public will not lose interest.

“The playing field is going to be a lot more level,” Adams said.

“Let’s hope the attention on this race has demonstrated just how

important judicial candidates are.”

Without a candidate that has become a lightning rod for criticism and

moral questions, Adams and Sandoval said they would stick to the usually

drier legal issues known to populate these campaigns.

The 49-year-old Sandoval, a former Daily Pilot columnist, initially

filed to run for a different judicial seat at the end of last year.

However, when the charges were filed against Kline, she pulled her name

and began a public write-in campaign for Kline’s seat.

At the time, Sandoval, who prosecuted child molesters when she was

with the district attorney’s office, said she was worried about the

safety of children.

As a result of her efforts via a lawsuit, the field was opened to the

11 write-in candidates. Sandoval also won an earlier suit that resulted

in Kline’s name being placed on the ballot even though no one had filed

to challenge him before the end of the formal filing period.

“I spent hundreds of hours on the legal suits,” Sandoval said. “I was

outraged that he was going to get reelected without people getting a

choice.”

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and politics. He may be reached

at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7 paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .