WATSONVILLE—Annrae Angel received an endorsement from the Pajaro Valley Cesar Chavez Democratic Club for Superior Court Judge at Monday night’s meeting in Watsonville.
The club, which includes five Watsonville City Council members, also endorsed Measures R and Y, as well as Zach Friend for Supervisor, Robert Rivas for State Assembly and John Laird for State Senate.
It did not endorse Jimmy Panetta for U.S. Representative, though the state Democratic party has already endorsed the incumbent for the 20th Congressional District.
Angel is running against Nancy de la Peña and Jack Gordon for Department 1, an office currently held by retiring judge Ariadne Symons.
Symons was hit with a severe public censure by the state Commission on Judicial Performance—the strongest punishment short of removal from the bench—in May 2019. She was reassigned from felony cases to juvenile dependency and small claims court, and then announced her retirement in November, cutting her reelection campaign short.
Angel was the first candidate to file her paperwork for the March 3 election, a fact the Ben Lomond resident championed during Monday’s Q&A section.
“I came into this race because I believed Santa Cruz County deserved better,” Angel said. “I was the only candidate that’s here that came in against a well-funded incumbent because she had some challenges with her ethical behavior…I felt that a person that had that background should be opposed, that we as a legal community should not sit back and allow that person to go unopposed and move right back into the judge’s seat.”
Angel, 59, has served as an attorney throughout the Bay Area, and holds endorsements from 24 Superior Court judges and commissioners, over 100 regional attorneys, multiple Democratic groups and hundreds of community members around the county.
De la Peña, 62, served for 30 years in the county’s Public Defender’s Office representing people charged with a major felony, misdemeanor and juvenile cases. The last three years she served as Assistant County Counsel and worked with the county’s Family and Children Services Division and the Sheriff’s Office.
She holds endorsements from State Assemblyman Mark Stone, Sheriff Jim Hart and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty.
Gordon, 63, has practiced law since 1993 and had handled more than 2,500 cases, including 25 in which he represented people charged with murder. He has been appointed as a Civil Service Commissioner multiple times by the county Board of Supervisors and served as chair.
He has been endorsed by Santa Cruz Deputy Chief of Police Patty Sapone, as well as multiple regional attorneys.
All three candidates were asked a handful of questions, but the trio continuously circled back to the underutilized courtroom at the Civic Plaza.
De la Peña said that she would push to have preliminary hearings immediately transferred to Watsonville’s courthouse, and also try to bring back jury trials to South County for cases involving the area’s residents.
“When you had a one, basically, courtroom house out on Freedom, we had jury trials,” she said. “Why not now? I’ve asked and I will continue to ask.”
Angel agreed with de la Peña, saying that many of her past Watsonville clients have had to undergo trials without their family’s support because it was conducted at the Santa Cruz Courthouse.
“The courts should be here, probation should be here, everything should be here to serve Watsonville,” she said.
Gordon, who mentioned the Watsonville courthouse in his opening statement, agreed with Angel and de la Peña and said he would advocate for a dedicated trial department to help streamline the process for police, judges and juries.
“Most places have dedicated trial departments, so jurors show up at 9 o’clock, they go all day, business gets taken care of,” he said. “That’s how it should be here.”
Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein presented the case for Measure R, a $274.1 million bond that would be used to repair and upgrade classrooms as well as build a new public safety training center in Watsonville for prospective firefighters and police.
The measure requires 55 percent of the vote.
Mayor Rebecca Garcia, meanwhile, advocated for the passing of Measure Y. The measure, which requires two-thirds approval, would continue the half-cent sales tax first put in place with the passing of Measure G in 2014.
Measure Y would distribute the $4 million raised by the tax to police (54 percent), fire (38) and parks (8).
It would also be in place until repealed by voters.
For information on the March 3 election, visit votescount.com.
