SHERRY POWELL: LEADING POPULAR CANDIDATE FOR LA SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE SEAT #97
By Vic Gerami
While most of the nation is fixated on the November presidential elections, March 3rd is a very important date for Angelinos as they go to the polls to vote for various offices, as well as judicial races.
One of these races is for the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Seat #97, for which attorney Sherry Powell is a favorite front-runner.
An experienced trial attorney who has conducted 88 jury trials, vast majority of her legal career as a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles has been dedicated to serving and advocating for families who have lost loved ones to murder and victims of violent crimes such as child molestation, rape, human trafficking, elder abuse and domestic violence.
“I believe that the combination of my life experience, my non-legal work experience and my legal experience is what motivates me to seek the bench and would contribute towards me being of service as a judge,” Powell told me. She continued, “I grew up in an economically unstable family. My first job was at the age of 11 when I learned that I could work in the school cafeteria to earn a hot lunch. That same year I started to babysit and I opened my first savings account at Bank of America with a few dollars. I did not want to worry about money like my parents did. From the age of 11 on I always had a job. I worked my way through college at CSU Long Beach and worked for another 20 years in printing and educational publishing. At the age of 35 I decided to start from a blank slate and I was awarded an almost full scholarship at Chapman law. After my first year, I clerked with the court of appeal, Justice Fybel, and he suggested that if I ever wanted to become a judge I should consider transferring to UCLA law and so I did that.”
“I wanted to be of service to victims of crime and so I joined the district attorneys office. I immediately sought to gain trial skills and tried 15 misdemeanor jury trials in my first year as a DA. During my entire career I have always been responsible for evaluating filings and ensuring that cases were not filed when there were issues of proof or equity. I think that is one of the most important things about being an ethical prosecutor.”
“People that come into the court system, whether it’s criminal, family, civil, traffic, or otherwise, need to be served with respect and fairness. I think because I have gone through many of the same experience as the people who come to the court system have gone through that I can serve them and also help judges understand how to serve them if those judges have not gone through some of those same life circumstances. And that way, I believe I can be of service individually as a judge and to the bench as a whole,” Powell added.
Her belief in community service led her to teach the Project LEAD program to 5th grade students for six years. Project LEAD is a yearlong course in which has weekly classroom discussions about topics such as peer pressure, prejudice, bullying, conflict resolution and the juvenile court system. At the end of the program, students perform a mock trial in a local courthouse.
Her judicial candidacy is widely supported by judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, court staff, a wide range of organizations, friends, and family because she has a reputation for being ethical, fair, and diligent.
If elected, Powell will be the sixth lesbian on the LA Superior Court, out of 477 LA judges. Powell is married to her wife Janie Brackenridge.
Powell has a plethora of endorsements from leading organizations, community groups and well-respected high-profile individuals. For more information, please visit PowellForJudge.com
ENDORSEMENTS
Organizations
Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO
Mexican American Bar Association
Stonewall Democratic Club
Pacific Palisades Democratic Club
Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
Rio Hondo Democratic Club
National Women’s Political Caucus, Los Angeles County
North Valley Democratic Club
Los Angeles Police Protective League
Robert F. Kennedy Democratic Club
San Pedro Democratic Club
Service Employees International Union Local 721
Mexican American Bar Association Political Action Committee
Foothill Community Democrats
West LA Democratic Club
West Hollywood-Beverly Hills Democratic Club
Association of Deputy District Attorneys
East Area Progressive Democrats
Santa Monica Democratic Club
Latino Prosecutors Association
Northeast Los Angeles Democratic Club
New Frontier Democratic Club
Democratic Alliance for Action Santa Clarita
Gardena Valley Democratic Club
Long Beach Democratic Club
Long Beach Police Officers Association
Distinguished Individuals
The Hon. Kevin Brazile, Presiding Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Hon. Jackie Lacey, District Attorney, Los Angeles County
The Hon. Eric C. Taylor, Assistant Presiding Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Hon. Steve Cooley, former Los Angeles County District Attorney
Senator Susan Rubio
Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio
Mayor Gustavo V. Camacho, Pico Rivera
The Hon. Carol J. Najera
The Hon. Danielle R.A. Gibbons
The Hon. Emily T. Spear
The Hon. Margaret M. Bernal
The Hon. Judith L. Meyer
The Hon. Ricardo R. Ocampo
The Hon. Danette J. Gomez
The Hon. Susan J. Townsend
The Hon. Teresa P. Magno
The Hon. Julian C. Recana
The Hon. Lee W. Tsao
The Hon. Tony Cho
The Hon. Maria Andrea Davalos
The Hon. Lillian Vega Jacobs
The Hon. Troy Davis
The Hon. Christopher J. Frisco
The Hon. Olivia Rosales
The Hon. John A. Torribio
The Hon. Roger Ito
The Hon. Michael A. Cowell
The Hon. Gary J. Ferrari
The Hon. Richard R. Romero
The Hon. Thomson T. Ong
The Hon. Daniel J. Lowenthal
The Hon. James D. Otto
The Hon. Jesse I. Rodriguez
The Hon. Richard M. Goul
The Hon. Jennifer H. Cops
The Hon. John D. Lord
The Hon. Michael Shultz
The Hon. Laura Walton
The Hon. Mark C. Kim
The Hon. Maria Lucy Armendariz
The Hon. Karla D. Kerlin
The Hon. Charles A. Chung
The Hon. Darrell Mavis
The Hon. Pat Connolly
The Hon. Sam Ohta
The Hon. Norm Shapiro
The Hon. Patricia A. Hunter
The Hon. Terrance T. Lewis
The Hon. Rupert A. Byrdsong
The Hon. Rene C. Gilbertson
The Hon. Thomas D. Long
The Hon. Commissioner Evan A. Kitahara
