Governor’s Appointments: Judicial, Department of Social Services and the California Access to Justice Commission

Gov. Newsom Announces Judicial Appointments 

Gov. Newsom March 30 announced the following judicial appointments 

Daniel Alexander, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Alexander has served as a senior appellate court Attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal since 2017. He was a partner at FisherBroyles LLP from 2016 to 2017 and an associate at Coleman Frost LLP from 2007 to 2016. Alexander was an associate and then counsel at O’Melveny and Myers LLP from 2001 to 2007. He served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Texas from 2000 to 2001. Alexander earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Southern Methodist University School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Fred N. Wapner. Alexander is a Democrat.

Stephanie Davis, of Los Angeles County,  has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Davis has served as a commissioner at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2019. She was senior associate at the Law Offices of Vincent W. Davis from 2013 to 2019 and served as a referee at the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 1997 to 2013. Davis was a sole practitioner from 1997 to 2003 and managing partner at Davis & Davis from 1989 to 1997. She served as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Los Angeles Regional Office from 1986 to 1988. Davis earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Teri Schwartz. She is a Democrat.

Jessica Kronstadt, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Kronstadt has served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2013. She was an Attorney at Bet Tzedek Legal Services from 2012 to 2013 and an associate at Latham & Watkins LLP from 2009 to 2012. Kronstadt earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Amy D. Hogue. Kronstadt is a Democrat.

Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom March 30 announced the following appointments:

Sabrina Forte, of Los Angeles, has been appointed assistant director of equity and inclusion at the Department of Social Services. Forte has been director of policy and impact litigation at the Alliance for Children’s Rights since 2021. She was a staff attorney at the Youth Law Center from 2020 to 2021. Forte was a staff attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid from 2015 to 2019. She was a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2014 to 2015. Forte was a teacher at Edward W. Brooke Charter School from 2008 to 2011. She is a member of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. Forte earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Literature from Harvard College, a Master of Arts degree in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $131,004. Forte is a Democrat.  

Diego Cartagena, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Access to Justice Commission, where he has served since 2021. Cartagena has been President and CEO of Bet Tzedek Legal Services since 2020, where he was vice president of Legal Programs from 2017 to 2021 and pro bono director from 2012 to 2017. Cartagena was pro bono director at the Alliance for Children’s Rights from 2007 to 2012. He was a family law attorney at the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice from 2003 to 2007. Cartagena is a member of the California Access to Justice Legal Aid Funding Committee, Justice in Aging board of directors and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s civil council. Cartagena earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Literature and Culture from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Cartagena is a Democrat. 

Crystal L. Miller-O’Brien, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Access to Justice Commission, where she has served since 2021. Miller-O’Brien has been of counsel at Glaser Weil LLP since 2023. She has been a panel attorney for the California Office of Legislative Counsel’s Workplace Conduct Unit since 2019 and a temporary judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2016. She served on the California Law Revision Commission from 2011 to 2021. Miller-O’Brien was an employee relations Advisor for Intuit Inc. from 2021 to 2022, advice & litigation counsel at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP from 2020 to 2021, director of employee relations at University Medical Partners in 2020, and Labor and Employment Law Department manager and general counsel at Medical Management Consultants Inc./MMC-HR LLC from 2006 to 2020. Miller-O’Brien is a member of the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Willamette University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology from Oberlin College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Miller-O’Brien is a Democrat.