Orange County Elections : Judge Hopefuls Get Ready to Keep on Running Until November

Deputy Dist. Atty. William W. Bedsworth and Irvine attorney Robert H. Gallivan foresaw the same scenario in their race for a seat on the Superior Court bench this year.

Bedsworth predicted that he and Gallivan would be in a runoff after Tuesday’s election because the third candidate, Los Angeles County deputy prosecutor Joseph L. Barilla, would get enough votes to keep anyone from winning outright. Gallivan thought the same thing. In the second part of the scenario, each saw himself the winner in November.

Now both are thinking back to two years ago, when Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. James Enright ran in a June primary against Municipal Judge Ragnar Engebretson. There was a third candidate in that race too: Barilla. Enright held a clear lead, 47% to Engebretson’s 37%. But Barilla was the spoiler that year, too, getting enough votes to keep Enright from claiming victory.

To the surprise of most of Orange County’s legal field, Engebretson won in November.

“I think this race is very much like the Enright-Engebretson race,” Gallivan said Thursday. “Bill got more votes Tuesday, but if I can get the word out about who I am and what the job of being a judge is all about, I can pull off another Engebretson and win in November.”

Bedsworth is also keeping that race in mind.

“I think what it means is, I’m a cinch to win, if I work my tail off between now and November,” Bedsworth said.

Bedsworth plans to hit hard on the theme that he is a longtime prosecutor and staunch opponent of Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, who faces a confirmation election in November. Gallivan said he hopes to convince voters that most judges handle civil matters, not criminal. Gallivan is also a Bird opponent and thinks he can negate that issue.

A colleague of Bedsworth, Deputy Dist. Atty. Anthony J. Rackauckas, ran for Superior Court on a strong anti-Bird theme Tuesday, but it did not result in a victory.

Rackauckas might have fared better if there had been a Barilla in his race. Rackauckas lost to Municipal Judge David H. Brickner, 53% to 47%. Rarely has a Municipal Court judge seeking elevation to the Superior Court in Orange County lost a race against a candidate who was not a judge.

Anti-Bird Leader

Rackauckas was aware of that but thought this might be the year to do it because of the Bird issue. Rackauckas is a known leader in the anti-Bird movement. Brickner refused to take a stand on Bird, claiming that it would be unethical while he is still on the bench. Brickner insisted that his qualifications should be the issue, not Bird.

“I’m sure Tony got some votes because of the Bird issue,” Brickner said Thursday. “But fortunately, that issue did not translate into enough votes to make a difference.

Bedsworth and Gallivan are running for the seat vacated by Superior Court Judge James F. Judge. Brickner won the seat vacated by Judge Mark A. Soden.

In the only other Superior Court race, incumbent William F. McDonald handily defeated Newport Beach attorney James E. Wilkoski, 79% to 21%. Wilkoski campaigned on a religious theme and had little money to run a serious race.

Only two judges running to retain their seats in Municipal Court faced any opposition. One of them, Harbor Municipal Judge Brian R. Carter, beat Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert E. Thomas III, 67% to 33%. But the other, North Municipal Judge Betty L. Elias, fell a few votes short of winning the June election outright. She got 48%, and Fullerton attorney James A. Bates got 31%. The spoiler for her was Santa Ana attorney William H. Randall, who got 21%. Elias and Bates will oppose each other in the fall.

Other Municipal Court Runoffs

Two other Municipal Court runoffs will be on the November ballot.

In a Central Court race, Deputy Dist. Atty. James M. Brooks, who got 48%, will run against Long Beach deputy prosecutor Paul S. Robbins, who got 38%. The third opponent in that race was Santa Ana attorney Diane Nordby, who got 14%. Nordby was the only one of the three who lived and worked in the district, but she had little money to invest in a campaign. The three were running for the seat being vacated by Judge Bobby D. Youngblood, who ran unsuccessfully for sheriff and did not seek reelection to the bench.

In North Court, Riverside deputy prosecutor Robert B. Robbins, who got 40%, will run against Richard E. Behn, who got 36%. The third-place candidate in that race was Fullerton attorney Robert Von Esch Jr., who got 24%. They were seeking the seat left vacant by Judge Logan Moore.