Fourteen candidates for judicial seats in the two Inland counties have qualified to run in the June 7 primary. Here are their profiles and who has donated to their campaigns so far.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS Follow Our Courts will hold candidate fora for judicial hopefuls in each county. San Bernardino County candidates will be at the University of Redlands April 27 at 6 p.m. Riverside County candidates will be at Riverside City College May 4 at 6:15 p.m. These will be free and open to the public.
There are four open seats in Riverside County and 26 incumbents running unopposed. For the open seats, there are 10 candidates that will be on the ballot.
There are two open seats in San Bernardino County and 28 incumbents running unopposed. For the open seats, there are four candidates that will be on the ballot.
Mail-in voting begins May 9. The last day to register to vote is May 23.
Riverside County races
Eric Isaac, Jason Stone
Eric Isaac
Court Commissioner Eric Isaac, a Riverside Superior Court Commissioner, has tried over 90 jury trials, since his 2013 appointment and has handled criminal law, family law and civil law. He also works as a law professor at Chapman Law School. Isaac is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and holds an associate's degree in administrative management, a bachelor’s in education, training and development, and a master’s in law from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He received his master’s degree while serving as a court commissioner, and joined the bar in 1997.
He is endorsed by 24 Riverside judges (including two that also endorsed Stone), the San Bernardino Police Chief, Congressman Mark Takano and by Fourth District Court of Appeal Associate Justice Richard Fields. Campaign documents show a $1,000 donation from retired California Highway Patrol Chief Calvin Aubrey.
Jason Stone
Deputy District Attorney Jason Stone has worked for the district attorney’s office since his graduation from The George Washington University School of Law in 2006. He worked first as a law clerk and then as a deputy district attorney after his 2007 admittance to the state bar. He also holds a bachelor’s in business-economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Stone is endorsed by four Riverside County supervisors, the Riverside District Attorney, nine Riverside judges (including two that also endorsed Isaac) and 13 police associations. Campaign filings for his campaign have not yet been made electronically available by the county clerk.
Barajas, Lough, Swanson
Amy Zois Barajas
Senior gang and homicide prosecutor Amy Zois Barajas has worked for the district attorney’s office since she joined the bar in 2005. Barajas has served as a line level trial prosecutor in the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, Vehicle Homicide Unit, the Gang Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit and the Political Corruption Unit. She grew up in Riverside, and began working for her father’s Greek restaurant at the age of 6. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, in 2001 and Southwestern University School of Law in 2004, working at the restaurant on the weekends. She states her campaign is focused on victims, public safety and accountability.
Barajas is endorsed by District Attorney Mike Hestrin, former District Attorney Rod Pacheco, Public Defender Steve Harmon, former Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, WINTEC, Jackie Autry, Sheriff Chad Bianco, five police officer associations and 17 current Riverside Superior Court judges.
She has raised $14,500 in donations, including $10,000 from Frederick W. Noble and Affiliate Entities Los Angeles. Noble is a licensed attorney who also runs Wintec Energy in Palm Springs. Zois also has a $9,000 loan from her father to support her campaign.
Natalie Lough
Deputy District Attorney Natalie Lough joined the district attorney’s office in 2007, where she has worked criminal cases from general theft and assault felonies to sexual assault, child molestation and homicide cases. She joined the bar in 2006 after graduating from Chapman University School of Law. For the past 10 years, Natalie has worked as an appellate prosecutor engaging in complex appellate litigation in the California Supreme Court, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, and the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. She met and married her husband, Michael, in the district attorney’s office.
Lough’s campaign received $30,000 from the Riverside County Deputy District Attorneys’ Association PAC, and $10,000 from Riverside Sheriffs’ Association Public Education Fund.
Richard Swanson
Criminal defense attorney and sole practitioner Richard Swanson joined the bar in 1997, after graduating from California Southern Law School. He worked for the San Bernardino district attorney’s office for six months until he opened his own office. Swanson has conducted more than 75 criminal felony trials, mostly gang-related, including nine death-penalty cases and 20 murder related cases. He has not listed endorsements, and campaign finance records are not yet released.
Kirk, Navarro, Whelton
Kristi Kirk
Deputy District Attorney Kristi Kirk has been employed with Riverside County district attorney's office since 2005, when she joined the state bar. She has worked in all units of Eastern Division, including juvenile, filings, misdemeanors and felony domestic violence prosecution. She has specialized in gang and homicide prosecution. For the past four years she has devoted her time to prosecuting drunken driving cases and won the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Prosecutor of the Year award in 2019.
She is endorsed by Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin (who also endorsed Navarro), 19 law enforcement associations, three current Riverside judges, six law offices and 49 elected officials, including three county supervisors and Sen. Melissa Melendez. Campaign finance documents have not yet been made available.
Francisco Navarro
Deputy District Attorney Francisco Navarro, who has worked in the DA’s Gang Unit but now is in the office’s Public Integrity Unit, has handled domestic violence, homicides, tribal gaming and white collar crimes. He joined the bar in 2006, and helped launch the first mock trial at Norco High School, where he served as the attorney coach. Navarro mentors at-risk youth at Mission Bell Elementary School, and is a member of the District Attorney’s Community Action Team. He is the son of immigrant parents, and received a bachelor’s in political science from the University of California, San Diego, and a law degree from Western State College of Law.
Navarro is endorsed by Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin (who also endorsed Kirk), Public Defender Steven Harmon, Fourth District Court of Appeal Associate Justice Richard Fields, 17 current Riverside Superior Court justices, three state assembly members, seven law offices and the Riverside Police Officers Association. He has raised $13,000, including $10,000 from Frederick W. Noble of Wintec Energy.
Christopher Whelton
Criminal defense attorney and sole practitioner Christopher Whelton regularly represents criminal defendants in Mental Health Court, Veterans Court and Drug Court. He joined the state bar in 1991, after graduating from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1989 and the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1982 with a degree in American history. He opened his law office in 2001. Whelton worked as a senior trial associate at Kasdan, Simonds, Epstein and McIntyre from October, 1999, to March, 2001. He was an associate partner and trial attorney at the Vermont firm Miller Faignant Whelton from 1993 to 1996, and worked for the Vermont Office of the Defender General from April, 1992, to October, 1993. He started practicing law in 1989, as a law clerk for two years then as a deputy public defender at the Office of the San Diego Public Defender.
He is endorsed by multiple former Riverside County prosecutors and Riverside Superior Judges Johnetta Anderson and Burke Strunsky. Campaign finance documents have not yet been made available.
Garcia, Kiel
Laura Garcia
Riverside County Superior Court Commissioner Laura Garcia previously worked as a Riverside County Deputy Public Defender, where she was a senior trial attorney in the Complex Litigation Unit and the lead Juvenile Court Public Defender in Indio. She received her bachelor’s in government from the University of Redlands, and her law degree from the Southern California Institute of Law in Santa Barbara. She is a past PTA president, grew up in Coachella, and lives in Corona.
Garcia is endorsed by Fourth District Court of Appeal Associate Justice Richard Fields, Public Defender Steve Harmon, 21 current Riverside Superior Court judges, two assembly members, and two county supervisors. She has raised $29,500 for her campaign, including $10,000 from Frederick Noble of Wintec Energy, $5,000 from V. Manuel Perez’s supervisor campaign, $5,000 from physician Randy Rowlands, $5,000 from Indio businessman Nachhattar Chandi, $2,500 from Eduardo Garcia’s assembly campaign and $2,000 from Democratic Women of the Desert.
Jay Kiel
Deputy District Attorney Jay Kiel has prosecuted criminal cases such as murder, gang crime, organized crime and major drug trafficking in his 15 years at the district attorney’s office. He was appointed Special United States Attorney by the United States Department of Justice. He has received employee of the month 15 times and received the 2020 leadership award. He is a member of the Informant Policy Committee and Marijuana Advisory Committee, and trains law enforcement on informant management, investigations and California marijuana laws. He works with at-risk youth at Rain Cross Boxing Gym and coaches a nationally ranked baseball team.
Kiel is endorsed by District Attorney Mike Hestrin, the Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Association, nine law enforcement associations, three current Riverside judges, three county supervisors, and two law offices. Campaign finance documents have not yet been made available.
San Bernardino County races
Martinez, Tulcan
Mario Martinez Jr.
Deputy Public Defender Mario Martinez Jr. has handled more than 50 trials since he joined the office in 2000. He received his bachelor’s in history in 1988, and his law degree from the Hastings College of the Law in 1991. Martinez joined the bar in 1992, volunteered at the Legal Aid Society of the San Gabriel Valley and served in the United States Army Reserve from 1994 to 2001. He worked in private practice from 1995 to 2000, dealing with personal injury, family law and criminal defense.
Martinez is endorsed by 13 San Bernardino Superior Court judges, and retired mayor Sam Racadio. Campaign finance documents are not yet available.
David Tulcan
Deputy District Attorney David Tulcan has been in the district attorney’s office since 2005, dealing with criminal prosecution, family protection, environmental protection and consumer protection. Tulcan received his master’s and bachelor’s degree from UC Riverside, his law degree from Loyola Law School, and joined the bar in 2003.
Tulcan is endorsed by District Attorney Jason Anderson, Judge Denise Dvorak, and eight law enforcement associations. He donated $25,000 of his own money to the campaign, and received $2,500 from the Ontario Police Officers’ Association, and $1,400 from the Sheriff’s Employees Benefit Association.
McGee, Rodriguez
James McGee
Criminal defense attorney James McGee opened his own firm in 2014, after spending 12 years working as a prosecutor for the San Bernardino district attorney’s office. Four years at the office was with the District Attorney’s Hardcore Gang Unit. McGee worked with foster care groups, police agencies and juvenile groups to dissuade teens from joining gangs, including Colton At Risk Teens and the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program. He later served on the board of directors for the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates of San Bernardino.
McGee is endorsed by 37 San Bernardino Superior Court judges. Campaign finance records are not yet available.
Melissa Rodriguez
Supervising Deputy District Attorney Melissa Rodriguez has worked with San Bernardino County district’s attorney’s office for 17 years. She has prosecuted cases involving human trafficking, rape, homicide, domestic violence and carjackings. She teaches Introduction to Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking and Gangs, and Child Homicide Investigations to law enforcement and attorneys throughout the country. She joined the state bar in 2004.
Rodriguez is endorsed by the Sheriff’s Employees Benefit Association, eight police associations and three county supervising deputy district attorneys. Rodriguez has raised $16,100, including $4,900 from Corona broker Steve Rugg, $4,900 from self-employed Newport Coast resident Melissa Cuevas, $1,500 from the San Bernardino County Public Attorneys Association and $2,500 from Geoff Newman of Newman & Allen. Her campaign also took out a $13,000 loan from her personal account.
