Deepa Bharath
Four candidates contesting in the judges' races said they have one
common goal -- to make the judicial system more efficient and
accessible to the public.
Glenda Sanders -- running against Irvine attorney David Brent for
Superior Court Judge, Office 27 -- said there is a vast group of
middle-income people who cannot afford legal representation.
"If you are very poor, you qualify for legal aid," the Corona del
Mar resident said. "If you are rich, you can afford an attorney. But
those stuck in the middle cannot get access to a lawyer without
substantial financial detriment. That is a much under-represented
group in the community."
Vickie Ann Bridgman, a Newport Heights resident, said she would
aim to make the court system less tedious for jurors.
"Our judicial system is not set up to be very efficient," said
Bridgman, who is running against Kelly MacEachern for Superior Court
Judge, Office 22. "It's important that judges make good use of their
time and make it a priority to start proceedings on time so that
jurors don't have to wait."
MacEachern, a Mission Viejo resident, said she would work to
simplify court procedures that have become too tedious and hard to
understand.
"The legal system has become prohibitive in terms of cost and
paperwork," she said. "We need to make legal aid available to all
sections of the population. Minority populations in particular should
have outreach programs that help them with interpreters and so on."
Court rules and regulations are made with judges in mind, not the
public, said Gay Sandoval -- running against Dana Point attorney John
Adams for Superior Court Judge, Office 21.
"Our legal system is not at all user-friendly, especially in civil
cases," the Costa Mesa resident and former Daily Pilot columnist
said. "We need to change the rules and guidelines so that the average
persons may have a chance to defend themselves in a civil case."
A SUPPORTER OF VICTIMS' RIGHTS
Bridgman said she strongly supports victims' rights, the death
penalty and the California three strikes law that puts anyone who
commits three felonies in prison for life.
"It's had a real big effect on making the crime rate go down here
in California," she said. "If you don't have that, you're just
waiting for these serious offenders to commit another crime. This is
a law that gets them off the streets."
Judges in the past have also not paid too much attention to
collecting restitution for victims from sentenced prisoners, Bridgman
said.
