SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The county’s first Filipino American judge was recently appointed as a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“My knees went weak when I got the call,” said Jerry Bustos Vinluan III. “I was overwhelmed. It was later in the evening; I thought it was some kind of joke.”
Vinluan said his new position starts today and that he will be taking the bench on Monday dealing with misdemeanors in Department 1.
“I’ll be taking over for Nancy De La Peña,” he added, saying that De La Peña will move to Department 4.
Vinluan, 49, of Santa Cruz, has served as a Deputy Public Defender at Biggam, Christensen & Minsloff since 2006. Before that, he served as a Deputy Alternate Public Defender at Wallraff & Associates from 2004 to 2006. Vinluan was a sole practitioner from 2002 to 2004 and was a Deputy Public Defender at the Madera County Public Defender’s Office from 2000 to 2001.
He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Golden Gate University School of Law.
A Democrat, Vinluan fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kim E. Baskett.
“Jerry is a fine, well-respected attorney,” said Santa Cruz County Chief Public Defender Larry Biggam. “He is intelligent, he’s energetic, and a hard worker. He is well-liked in this office and in the court system: Overall, we’re getting a hard-working judge who is a real team player.”
His annual pay will be $214,601.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vinluan said he has been showered with support from scores of people in the Filipino community and others, especially in the law world. He will be the 12th Superior Court Judge in the county.
“The investiture for me will be on Aug. 31, which is my 50th birthday,” he said. “I have two kids so this position will take a village; I mean, I’ll have to miss a few soccer games. I am just so appreciative of the people who showed so much to make this happen. My parents gave us so much care. It’s all about our community and I am going to reflect that as best I can. Humility—we want that as a number one quality.”
