Election 2026 · State of California

Court of Appeal, Second District

Published September 29, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

Michelle C. Kim, Gregory J. Weingart, Steve Goorvitch, Anne Richardson, Rashida A. Adams, Mark Hanasono, Helen Zukin, Audra M. Mori, Nicholas Daum, Armen Tamzarian, Brian M. Hoffstadt, Tari L. Cody, Kenneth R. Yegan, Gonzalo C. Martinez, Natalie Stone, John Wiley, Matthew A. Scherb and Victor G. Viramontes are up for a yes-or-no retention vote for the Court of Appeal, Second District on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

The Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District hears appeals from the superior courts of Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. It has eight divisions: Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 sit in Los Angeles and Division 6 sits in Ventura. Eighteen of its justices are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for a yes-or-no retention vote.

Summary by CityHallPass, not the official text or legal advice. The official text controls: LA County's official election information.

What it means for the City of LA

Appeals of many cases decided by the Superior Court in Los Angeles County go to this court, because Los Angeles County is in the Second Appellate District; some other appeals are heard by the superior court's own appellate division (California Constitution, article VI, section 11). The California Supreme Court can review this court's decisions (article VI, section 12).

Up for a retention vote

For each name, voters mark yes to keep the justice in office or no to remove them.

The job

What the court decides. The Courts of Appeal “review the majority of appealable orders or judgments from the superior courts” and can hear original petitions for writs (Judicial Council, 2026 Court Statistics Report). The Second District takes appeals from the superior courts of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties (LA Times). The Supreme Court can review its decisions (California Constitution, article VI, section 12).

How it is organized. The district has 32 authorized justices, the most of the state’s six districts (Court Statistics Report). It has eight divisions. Seven sit in Los Angeles and Division Six sits in Ventura (Voter Information Guide). The LA Times editorial board described it in 2022 this way: each division has four justices, “one of whom is appointed by the governor as presiding justice, and three of whom are randomly assigned to hear each appeal” (LA Times). Seven divisions hear appeals from the Los Angeles Superior Court and one hears appeals from Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo (LA Times).

Caseload, fiscal year 2024-25:

• 8,339 filings: 6,343 notices of appeal and 1,996 original proceedings such as writ petitions. The court disposed of 8,712 matters (Court Statistics Report).
• 2,737 appeals decided by written opinion (Court Statistics Report).
• 5,952 appeals pending on June 30, 2025 (Court Statistics Report).
• The report says the Second District had “the highest level of pending appeals per justice.” Its filings per justice were “28.6 percent higher than the statewide average,” and it had the highest dispositions per justice (Court Statistics Report).

Budget. The enacted 2026-27 state budget funds all six Courts of Appeal at $310.8 million with 935.3 positions and does not break out the Second District (2026-27 State Budget, Judicial Branch).

Pay. The Governor’s office listed Court of Appeal compensation at $280,052 in its September 18, 2026 appointment announcement (Governor’s office).

How justices get and keep the job. The Governor nominates, the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation rates the nominee, and the Commission on Judicial Appointments must confirm (Voter Information Guide). For a Court of Appeal seat that panel is the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the most senior presiding justice of the district (Judicial Branch). Justices then face voters at the next governor’s election (Voter Information Guide). Some of the 18 are on the ballot for a new post: the Governor’s office said Rashida Adams’s appointment as presiding justice is “to a term beginning January 4, 2027” that “will be subject to voter confirmation” this November (Governor’s office).

How recent the bench is. Gov. Newsom first named 15 of the 18 justices on this ballot to this court, between 2022 and 2026 (Governor’s office announcements linked in each record below). The other three came earlier: Kenneth Yegan has served since 1990 (court bio), Brian Hoffstadt since 2014 (court bio) and John Wiley since Gov. Brown appointed him in 2018 (Gov. Brown’s office). Newsom also named all five presiding justices on this ballot to those posts (Martinez; Hoffstadt; Zukin; Cody; Adams).

Records

The Commission on Judicial Performance’s list of public decisions by judge’s name shows no entry for any of the 18, and site searches of the CJP by each name found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). For a sitting judge the State Bar shows only name, city, license number and admission date, not discipline history (State Bar profile example). Most opinions below were reported by the Metropolitan News-Enterprise (MetNews), a Los Angeles legal daily. “Unpublished” means the opinion generally cannot be cited or relied on in other cases (California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115).

Division One: Michelle C. Kim

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated her on September 30, 2024 to the seat of retiring Justice Victoria D. Chaney (Governor’s office).
• Career. Deputy public defender, 2003-2005; deputy alternate public defender, 2005-2018; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2018 (Governor’s office). Her bio says she was a departmental head deputy at the Alternate Public Defender’s office and later an assistant supervising judge in the Criminal Division (court bio).
• Confirmation. The State Bar commission rated her “exceptionally well qualified” (court bio). The Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed her unanimously in November 2024 (Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • July 2026: she wrote an unpublished opinion upholding the reinstatement of a Long Beach police officer fired over errors in a police report. The trial judge had found the mistakes did not show lying (MetNews).
  • December 2025: she wrote an unpublished opinion ordering a new bail hearing for a man accused of sex offenses against minors. She held a Superior Court judge should have reconsidered a no-bail ruling after an intervening appellate decision (MetNews).
  • February 2026: she joined the Division One opinion holding that the trial judge in a criminal case undermined the conviction by not disclosing a jury note (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Kim found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 222713, admitted December 2002, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division One: Gregory J. Weingart

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated him on October 7, 2022 to the seat left by “the removal of Justice Jeffrey Johnson” (Governor’s office). The CJP removed Johnson from office in June 2020 (CJP decision).
• Career. Law clerk to U.S. District Judge Wm. Matthew Byrne Jr.; Munger, Tolles & Olson associate, 1992-1995, and partner, 2004-2018; Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1995-2004, where his bio says he was chief of the Major Frauds section (court bio). Los Angeles Superior Court judge from December 2017, mostly in family law (court bio), with a stint as a justice pro tem in Division One, 2019-2020 (Governor’s office).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in November 2022 (court bio; Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • September 2026: as acting presiding justice, he wrote the unpublished opinion upholding a $90 million sexual assault judgment (MetNews).
  • July 2026: he wrote an opinion holding that California’s “Yelp Law” does not allow a suit for civil penalties unless the business threatened to enforce a no-criticism clause (MetNews).
  • April 2026: at argument in an appeal of a Los Angeles rape conviction, he noted that certain evidence “only came up at the new trial motion” (Courthouse News).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Weingart found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 157997, admitted June 1992, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Two: Steve Goorvitch

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom named him on February 19, 2026 to the seat of retiring Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst (Governor’s office).
• Career. SEC staff attorney, 1998-2001; federal law clerk; O’Melveny & Myers counsel, 2003-2007; Assistant U.S. Attorney, 2007-2015; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from November 2015 (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Confirmed unanimously on May 22, 2026 (Courts Newsroom). His State Bar commission rating was not found in the sources reviewed.
• Opinions reported.
  • July 2026: he wrote the opinion restoring jury awards of more than $8.6 million and $4.5 million to two male LAPD officers in a gender discrimination suit against the City of Los Angeles. A trial judge had cut the awards to $250,000 and $125,000 (MetNews).
  • July 2026: he wrote an unpublished opinion upholding the dismissal, under the anti-SLAPP law, of a suit against Simon & Schuster over a book-jacket blurb (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Goorvitch found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 199325, admitted December 1998, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Two: Anne Richardson

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated her on September 30, 2024 to the seat opened by Justice Hoffstadt’s move to Division Five (Governor’s office).
• Career. Law clerk to U.S. District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer, 1989-1990; Hadsell, Stormer, Richardson and Renick associate and partner, 1993-2014; directing attorney at Public Counsel, 2014-2018; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2018, in family law and then civil (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in November 2024 (court bio; Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • September 2026: she wrote the unpublished opinion upholding dismissal of a musician’s suit accusing a Texas lawyer of extortion. The court found the lawyer’s demand letter protected by the litigation privilege (MetNews).
  • April 2026: she wrote an unpublished opinion reviving a nuisance claim against the City of Los Angeles by a landowner who says the Department of Water and Power cut power to its building (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Richardson found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 151541, admitted December 1990, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Three: Rashida A. Adams

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated her as an associate justice on February 17, 2023, to the seat of retiring Justice Halim Dhanidina (Governor’s office). On August 7, 2026 he nominated her as presiding justice, to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Lee Edmon (Governor’s office).
• Career. Associate at Bernabei & Katz and Caldwell Leslie & Proctor; Second District research attorney, 2008-2017; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2017, in juvenile dependency and criminal courtrooms (Governor’s office; Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” for both posts and confirmed unanimously in April 2023 and August 2026 (court bio; Courts Newsroom, 2023; Courts Newsroom, 2026).
• Opinions and arguments reported.
  • January 2026: she joined Justice Hanasono’s opinion holding that California State University must bargain with faculty over the effects of cutting its student vaccine list (MetNews).
  • February 2025: at argument over the Dodger Stadium gondola, she asked what evidence showed future development would be “a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the project” (Courthouse News).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Adams found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 242262, admitted May 2006, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Three: Mark Hanasono

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated him on May 7, 2025 to the seat of retiring Justice Luis A. Lavin (Governor’s office).
• Career. Law clerk, D.C. Superior Court; Los Angeles County deputy public defender, 2000-2004; deputy alternate public defender, 2004-2013, including capital murder cases; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2013, including assistant supervising judge of the Criminal Division, 2020-2022 (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in June 2025 (court bio; Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • January 2026: he wrote the opinion holding that CSU must bargain with a faculty group over the effects of its vaccine policy change, while setting aside a remedy order (MetNews).
  • May 2026: he wrote an unpublished opinion letting a defamation suit go forward (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Hanasono found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 203041, admitted December 1999, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Four: Helen Zukin

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated her as an associate justice on May 19, 2023 and as presiding justice on May 7, 2025, replacing retired Presiding Justice Brian Currey (Governor’s office, 2023; Governor’s office, 2025).
• Career. Associate at Greene, O’Reilly, Agnew & Broillet, 1985-1990; partner at Simke, Chodos, Silberfeld & Anteau; solo practice, 1995-2006; Kiesel Law, 2006-2018; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2018 (Governor’s office, 2023; Governor’s office, 2025). Her bio says she chaired the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and was president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission (court bio).
• Confirmation. Confirmed as associate justice in July 2023 (Courts Newsroom) and unanimously as presiding justice in June 2025 (Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • August 2026: she wrote a published opinion sanctioning a Beverly Hills lawyer $1,000 for 26 unsupported accusations of bias against a trial judge. “We publish this opinion as a warning to those who appear before the appellate bench,” she wrote (MetNews).
  • June 2026: she wrote an unpublished opinion holding that a seller’s real estate agents had no duty to tell buyers about San Marino parking rules (MetNews).
  • October 2025: she presided over the panel that heard the challenge to the City of Los Angeles’s Measure ULA “mansion tax” (Courthouse News). The opinion was written by Justice Tamzarian (Courthouse News).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Zukin found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 117933, admitted June 1985, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Four: Audra M. Mori

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated her on January 31, 2023 to the seat of retiring Justice Thomas Willhite (Governor’s office).
• Career. Law clerk at the U.S. Court of International Trade, 1994-1996; associate and partner at several firms; Perkins Coie partner, 2005-2018, and managing partner of its Los Angeles office, 2017-2018; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2018 (Governor’s office). Her bio says she was president of the Japanese American Bar Association (court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in April 2023 (court bio; Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • December 2025: she joined Justice Tamzarian’s unanimous opinion upholding Measure ULA (Courthouse News).
  • April 2026: she wrote an unpublished opinion holding that a landlord that spent $19.7 million renovating Culver City apartments had no vested right to avoid the city’s later tenant protection ordinance (MetNews).
  • July 2026: she wrote an unpublished opinion holding that a no-criticism clause is not actionable under the Yelp Law without a threat to enforce it (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Mori found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 162850, admitted December 1992, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Four: Nicholas Daum

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated him on June 2, 2026 to the seat of retiring Justice Audrey B. Collins (Governor’s office).
• Career. Susman Godfrey associate, 2004-2009; Kendall Brill & Kelly associate and partner, 2009-2022; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2022, first in a criminal courtroom in San Fernando and then a civil courtroom at Stanley Mosk (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in August 2026 (court bio; Courts Newsroom). MetNews reported he joined the court on August 6 (MetNews).
• Opinions reported.
  • September 2026: he wrote the opinion affirming judgment for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes in a suit over a cyclist’s 2016 death, holding that a weak warning does not defeat design immunity (MetNews).
  • September 2026: he wrote an unpublished opinion on a juror misconduct claim in a conservation easement case brought by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Daum found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 236155, admitted May 2005, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Four: Armen Tamzarian

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated him on May 7, 2025 to the seat opened by Justice Zukin’s move to presiding justice (Governor’s office).
• Career. Los Angeles Superior Court research attorney, 1996-1997; Case, Knowlson, Jordan & Wright associate and partner, 1997-2008; lead appellate court attorney in Division Three, 2008-2013; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2013, in family law and civil (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in June 2025 (court bio; Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • December 2025: he wrote the unanimous opinion upholding Measure ULA, the City of Los Angeles transfer tax on sales over $5 million. He wrote that Proposition 13 “does not limit the ability of voters” to impose such a tax by initiative (Courthouse News). At argument he said, “The voters have the initiative power” (Courthouse News).
  • January 2026: he wrote an opinion upholding a gag order barring Microsoft from telling USC about a search warrant in an LAPD rape investigation (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Tamzarian found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 180778, admitted December 1995, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Five: Brian M. Hoffstadt

• Appointment. Gov. Schwarzenegger appointed him to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2010. Gov. Brown named him to Division Two, where he served from August 2014 (court bio). Gov. Newsom nominated him on September 30, 2024 as presiding justice of Division Five, replacing retired Presiding Justice Laurence D. Rubin (Governor’s office).
• Career. Clerk for Ninth Circuit Judge Cynthia Holcomb Hall and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; FCC and Justice Department policy posts; Assistant U.S. Attorney, 2000-2007; Jones Day partner, 2007-2010 (Governor’s office). He teaches evidence at USC and has written two books (court bio).
• Confirmation. Confirmed unanimously as presiding justice in November 2024 (Courts Newsroom). The 2014 confirmation record was not found online.
• Opinions reported.
  • May 2026: he wrote the opinion affirming summary judgment for Target in a disability discrimination suit by a Burbank employee who had not disclosed his bipolar disorder (MetNews).
  • June 2026: he dissented in a 2-1 ruling that ordered a new resentencing hearing for a man convicted of first-degree murder. He agreed the judge erred but said it did not prejudice the defendant (MetNews).
  • September 2026: he wrote an opinion holding a litigant had no standing to seek disqualification of the other side’s lawyer (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Hoffstadt found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 187003, admitted December 1996, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes.

Division Six: Tari L. Cody

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated her as an associate justice on January 31, 2023, to the seat of retiring Justice Steven Z. Perren (Governor’s office), and as presiding justice on June 2, 2026, replacing retired Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert (Governor’s office).
• Career. Nordman, Cormany, Hair & Compton associate and partner, 1985-1994; Lemieux & O’Neill, 1994-2000; Ventura County Superior Court judge, 2000-2023, including supervising juvenile judge (Governor’s office; Governor’s office; court bio). Her bio says Gov. Gray Davis appointed her to the trial court.
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in April 2023 and August 2026 (court bio; Courts Newsroom, 2023; Courts Newsroom, 2026).
• Opinions reported.
  • June 2026: she wrote the 2-1 opinion affirming an injunction against Sable Offshore’s repairs to the Santa Barbara County oil pipeline, holding the Coastal Commission could issue a cease-and-desist order. Justice Yegan dissented (Courthouse News).
  • September 2026: she wrote an unpublished opinion holding that residents who forced Grover Beach to certify a recall petition may recover attorney fees (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Cody found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 119604, admitted December 1985, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Six: Kenneth R. Yegan

• Appointment. Associate justice of Division Six since 1990. His bio does not name the appointing governor (court bio).
• Career. Ventura County deputy public defender, 1972-1975; Second District research attorney, 1975-1982; private practice in Thousand Oaks, 1982-1983; Ventura County municipal court judge, 1983-1986; Ventura County Superior Court judge, 1986-1990 (court bio).
• Confirmation. The 1990 confirmation record was not found online.
• Opinions reported.
  • May 2026: sitting by assignment on the California Supreme Court, he dissented from a ruling that narrowed murder liability for accomplices under the 2018 felony-murder law. He wrote that “one hundred seventy-five years of felony-murder precedent should not be set aside by an ambiguous statute” (MetNews).
  • June 2026: he dissented in the Sable pipeline case. “The repair work has been done. It is a ‘fait accompli,’” he wrote (Courthouse News).
  • September 2026: he wrote the opinion affirming the attempted murder conviction of a man who tried to shoot a Pismo Beach officer (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Yegan found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 54852, admitted December 1972, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes.

Division Seven: Gonzalo C. Martinez

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated him as an associate justice on March 30, 2023, to the seat of retiring Justice Laurie D. Zelon (Governor’s office), and as presiding justice on March 12, 2024, replacing retired Presiding Justice Dennis M. Perluss (Governor’s office).
• Career. Morrison & Foerster and Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass associate; Squire Patton Boggs appellate partner; federal law clerk; deputy solicitor general, 2017-2019; deputy judicial appointments secretary to Gov. Newsom, 2019-2023 (Governor’s office; Governor’s office). Neither release lists a trial court judgeship.
• Confirmation. Confirmed as associate justice in July 2023 (Courts Newsroom) and unanimously as presiding justice on May 14, 2024 (Courts Newsroom). His State Bar commission rating was not found in the sources reviewed.
• Opinions reported.
  • August 2026: he wrote an unpublished opinion reviving battery and civil rights claims by a partially paralyzed inmate against a prison guard (MetNews).
  • April 2026: he joined the Division Seven opinion upholding the youth offender parole law against a challenge by a rape victim (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Martinez found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 231724, admitted June 2004, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Seven: Natalie Stone

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom announced her selection on April 2, 2024, to the seat opened by Justice Martinez’s move to presiding justice (Governor’s office).
• Career. Law clerk to Ninth Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima, 1998-1999; Munger, Tolles & Olson associate, 1999-2010; Second District appellate attorney, 2010-2015; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2015, in juvenile dependency and criminal matters (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Confirmed unanimously on May 14, 2024 (Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • November 2025: Courthouse News reported that she wrote the unanimous ruling reversing a murder conviction because the trial judge, Emily Cole, communicated privately with prosecutors. She wrote that the judge “took on the role of the prosecutor” (Courthouse News). The CJP imposed a severe public censure on Judge Cole in May 2024 (CJP decision).
  • July 2026: she wrote the opinion reinstating a jury verdict for the City of Los Angeles in a suit by a protester hit by a less-lethal LAPD projectile (MetNews).
  • May 2026: she dissented when the majority held a judge erred in denying mental health diversion. She said the majority read the Legislature’s purposes too narrowly (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Stone found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 198198, admitted December 1998, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Eight: John Wiley

• Appointment. Gov. Brown appointed him on November 27, 2018 to the seat opened by Justice Laurence Rubin’s move to presiding justice of Division Five (Gov. Brown’s office).
• Career. Clerk for First Circuit Judge Frank M. Coffin and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.; UCLA law professor, 1983-2005; Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1990-1994; counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 1993; Los Angeles Superior Court judge, 2002-2018 (Gov. Brown’s office).
• Confirmation. The 2018 confirmation record was not found online.
• Opinions reported.
  • April 2026: sitting by assignment on the California Supreme Court, he joined the unanimous bail ruling and wrote a concurrence: “Today’s decision invites a legislative and executive response. I hope the invitation is accepted” (CalMatters; MetNews).
  • September 2026: he wrote the opinion holding that LAUSD violated state labor law by rejecting two job applicants over expunged misdemeanor convictions (MetNews).
  • August 2026: he dissented when Division Eight struck down a loan’s liquidated-damages clause (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Wiley found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 96994, admitted February 1981, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes.

The LA Times editorial board urged a yes vote on the 2022 appeals court justices (LA Times).

Division Eight: Matthew A. Scherb

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom named him on August 7, 2025 to the seat of retiring Justice Elizabeth A. Grimes (Governor’s office).
• Career. Law clerk to U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth; Winston & Strawn associate, 2005-2011; appellate court attorney, 2011-2017; deputy city attorney in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s civil appeals section, 2017-2021; chambers attorney for Supreme Court Justice Martin Jenkins, 2021-2025 (Governor’s office; court bio). He is registered with no party preference, the Governor’s office said (Governor’s office).
• Confirmation. Confirmed unanimously on November 17, 2025 (Courts Newsroom). His State Bar commission rating was not found in the sources reviewed.
• Opinions reported.
  • April 2026: he wrote the unpublished opinion holding that Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher must pay retirement benefits to a partner who left for a rival firm, affirming an arbitration award (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Scherb found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 237461, admitted July 2005, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Division Eight: Victor G. Viramontes

• Appointment. Gov. Newsom nominated him on October 7, 2022 to the seat opened by Justice Maria Stratton’s move to presiding justice (Governor’s office).
• Career. Law clerk to U.S. District Judge Carlos R. Moreno, 1999; Heller Ehrman associate, 2000-2001; MALDEF staff attorney, 2001-2005, and national senior counsel, 2010-2017; EEOC trial attorney and senior trial attorney, 2005-2010; Los Angeles Superior Court judge from 2017 (Governor’s office; court bio).
• Confirmation. Rated “exceptionally well qualified” and confirmed unanimously in November 2022 (court bio; Courts Newsroom).
• Opinions reported.
  • August 2026: he wrote the unpublished opinion affirming judgment for a singer in a fan’s suit over an impostor scam (MetNews).
  • June 2026: he wrote an unpublished opinion upholding a new trial on damages because a defense lawyer falsely told jurors an expert had been sued by 136 patients (MetNews).
  • April 2026: sitting by assignment on the California Supreme Court, he joined a unanimous death penalty decision (MetNews).
• Discipline. None listed by the CJP, and a CJP site search for Viramontes found nothing (CJP, searched Sept. 30, 2026). The State Bar lists licensee 214158, admitted June 2001, now serving as a judge (State Bar).
• Prior retention votes. None.

Endorsements

No 2026 editorial board recommendations and no campaigns for or against retention were found as of Sept. 29, 2026.

Money

Method: the Secretary of State’s Cal-Access data, bulk export dated September 29, 2026 (Cal-Access raw data). We searched committee names for every justice’s surname and for “court of appeal,” “appellate,” “retain” and “retention.” Justices Yegan, Hoffstadt and Cody have old filer records. Yegan and Hoffstadt filed short officeholder forms in 2014, and Cody filed forms in 2014 as a Ventura County Superior Court candidate. None has filed anything for 2026. The only retention committees in the data for this district are from 1990 and 1998.

Who is giving

No donor data exists because no committee has formed for or against any of these justices.

Outside spending

None reported.

Key moments

Debates and forums

None. Retention races have no opponents.

Events

• Five of the 18 filled seats as presiding justices in two years. Gov. Newsom named Martinez (2024), Hoffstadt (2024), Zukin (2025), Cody (2026) and Adams (2026) to lead their divisions (Martinez; Hoffstadt; Zukin; Cody; Adams). MetNews reported Adams’s nomination on August 11, 2026, and the Commission on Judicial Appointments confirmed her that month (MetNews; Courts Newsroom).
• Second District justices sitting on the Supreme Court. With a Supreme Court seat vacant after Justice Martin Jenkins’s retirement, CalMatters reported that Wiley had “a temporary appointment” to the high court (CalMatters). MetNews reported that Yegan, Viramontes and Stone also sat by assignment on 2026 Supreme Court cases (MetNews; MetNews; MetNews).
• Measure ULA ruling (Dec. 2025). Division Four upheld the City of Los Angeles “mansion tax” in an opinion by Tamzarian, joined by Mori. Zukin presided at argument (Courthouse News; Courthouse News). Proposition TE on the November ballot would exempt some Palisades Fire victims from the tax.
• Weingart’s seat. He filled the vacancy left by Justice Jeffrey Johnson, whom the Commission on Judicial Performance removed from office in 2020 (Governor’s office; CJP decision).