Seat 64: Deputy Public Defender Rhonda Haymon
Rhonda Haymon has more than 25 years of experience as a public defender and is endorsed by a trio of judges with similar backgrounds — judges Holly Hancock, George Turner, and Ericka Wiley — as well as four of the five county supervisors, including Janice Hahn, and a wide range of organizations. La Defensa, which has played a leading role in shifting LA County from a punitive to a restorative model of justice, said this in endorsing her: “Haymon defines public safety as the presence of peace, security, and conditions that allow individuals and communities to thrive, not merely the absence of crime. She is among the most explicitly restorative of the judicial candidates we evaluated.”
Seat 65: Anna Slotky Reitano.
In 2022, Reitano was part of the original Defenders of Justice slate of public defenders running for county judicial office. She advanced from the primary, but lost with 44.7% of the vote. Since then, she’s broadened her experience, working in civil litigation with the LA County Counsel.
In a dual endorsement, Knock LA said, “She emphasizes the breadth of her experience in law as preparing her for an office that might take her to civil trials, family court, or any other branch of the legal arena. During her time as a public defender, she emphasized the importance of mental health diversion and treatment.”
While we chose to endorse Reitano, her opponent, Justin Clayton, is a career public defender with management experience who is also a recognized champion of restorative justice. We agree with Knock LA, which said, “It’s a shame that two qualified candidates are stuck in competition for a single office,” and while we hope Reitano wins, we hope that Clayton will run again in the near future, when we’ll be happy to endorse him.
Seat 87: Deputy Public Defender Anthony Bayne
Anthony Bayne is a public defender with a quarter century of broad experience, which has earned him endorsements from over 30 judicial officers. While not as explicitly progressive as others we’ve endorsed, he has earned the endorsement of scores of his fellow public defenders, as well as labor organizations, including all regional ILWU locals. Knock LA concludes its endorsement, “His broad experience with the courts at every level puts him head and shoulders above his competition for the seat.”
Seat 131: Deputy Alternative Public Defender David Ross
David Ross has served for more than 25 years in the alternative public defender’s office, which handles cases where there are multiple defendants or conflicts of interest between them that would disqualify the public defender. He’s represented more than 10,000 indigent clients, litigated 113 jury trials, and handled roughly 2,000 preliminary hearings. He previously worked as a journalist for a decade.
Knock LA says, “He’s both the progressive choice and the most qualified candidate.” La Defensa says, “Ross believes bias is an issue within the judicial system and that it is the judge’s job to weed out biases and prejudices.” And, “On sentencing, he believes a defendant’s background, including poverty, trauma, mental health, and substance use, is relevant, and he has applauded changes in the law that give judges more discretion in sentencing. He has advocated for alternative sentencing, diversion, and mental health diversion for his clients throughout his career, and he views these practices as playing a critical role in correcting injustices.”
Ross’s long list of organizational endorsements includes all regional ILWU locals as well as the Coast Longshore Division.