News
Judges and Judiciary
Feb. 27, 2002
Candidate Wins Ballot Dispute, Pursues Seat
LOS ANGELES - Paul Bacigalupo had to go to court to keep his ballot designation of "Judge, State Bar" on Tuesday's primary ballot. But what effect that victory will have on the outcome of Tuesday's primary remains to be seen as Bacigalupo vies for a seat on the Los Angeles Superior Court bench against "Trial Attorney" David Crawford III, "Criminal Prosecutor" David Gelfound and "Superior Court Commissioner" Steven Lubell.
But what effect that victory will have on the outcome of Tuesday's primary remains to be seen as Bacigalupo vies for a seat on the Los Angeles Superior Court bench against "Trial Attorney" David Crawford III, "Criminal Prosecutor" David Gelfound and "Superior Court Commissioner" Steven Lubell.
The four candidates are competing for the seat of retired Judge David B. Finkel. If none of them receives a majority of votes, the two top vote getters will compete in a Nov. 5 runoff.
Bacigalupo, a State Bar Court judge, had to defend his ballot designation after a voter, and supporter of candidate Gelfound, challenged the title as misleading. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe disagreed. Bacigalupo could use the "Judge, State Bar" designation, Yaffe ruled last month.
Bacigalupo said that he never thought there was anything misleading about the title.
"It accurately describes my job title and my occupation," he said. "I never thought that it was a question, anyway, and the judge completely agreed."
Bacigalupo and Gelfound are two of the most well-funded candidates of the 21 running for seven Superior Court seats. Bacigalupo reported raising more than $38,000 for the period that ended Jan. 19, while Gelfound reported a balance of $48,474.
Bacigalupo, 42, has been a State Bar Court judge since 2000, and his term expires in November. There, he is the supervising judge of the hearing department. Before that, he was a civil litigator at the firm of Castle & Lax. He also has worked for JAMS and as a judicial arbitrator and mediator for the Superior Court.
He sees being a judge as a way to continue the work he has started at the State Bar, he said.
"I think I am an experienced judge and that that experience would carry over very positively into other areas of the county," he said.
Bacigalupo is a 1987 graduate of the McGeorge School of Law.
Crawford, 47, a civil litigator, hopes that voters will help him realize a dream he has had since childhood.
"I always planned on [being a judge] from the time I was 5 or 6," Crawford said.
He prepared by graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1980 and working as a sole practitioner and at several firms. He practices insurance defense and business litigation at Pollard, Archer, Cranert, Googooian & Stevens in Pasadena.
Crawford said he believes that he has prepared himself to be a judge by doing pro tem work, among other things.
"You hear all the stories, and you learn to filter what is the truth and what is bolstering, and I think I'm very good at that. I see through the bull," he said. "I believe I've been very good on the bench."
Gelfound, 38, has been a deputy district attorney for nearly eight years. For the most recent four of those, he has worked in the hard-core gang unit, a division responsible for the prosecution of gang-related murders. Before becoming a prosecutor, Gelfound worked in several civil litigation firms handling everything from personal injury to construction defects.
It is this combination of civil and criminal experience that Gelfound believes makes him especially qualified for the bench.
"They could put me in criminal or civil court, and I could be comfortable sitting in either one because I know the law and understand the law in both areas," he said.
Gelfound is a 1989 graduate of Pepperdine University School of Law.
Lubell, 46, who sits as a Superior Court commissioner in Glendale, hearing criminal misdemeanor and felony cases, believes he has prepared himself for being a full-fledged judge.
"I've been doing this for over three years. ... I'm not afraid of work. I'm proud of my reputation of being balanced and fair. I'm tough when I have to be," he said. "I have a lot of respect for my other opponents, but I don't think any of them has the broad courtroom experience and education [I have]."
From 1986 until he was appointed a commissioner, Lubell was a sole practitioner. In addition to being a commissioner, Lubell is an adjunct professor of law at San Fernando Valley College of Law. He ran unsuccessfully for Glendale Municipal Court in 1994.
He earned his law degree in 1986 from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law.
The Los Angeles County Bar Association gave ratings of "Well Qualified" to Bacigalupo and Lubell, while Gelfound and Crawford garnered "Qualified" ratings.
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Erin Carroll
Daily Journal Staff Writer
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