Sacramento, CA…Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of 12 California superior court judges, which include three in Alameda County, three in Kern County, five in San Diego County and one in Tulare County.

Alameda County Superior Court

Sharon L. Djemal, 51, of Berkeley, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Djemal has been Program Director of the Consumer Justice Clinic at the East Bay Community Law Center since 2014, where she was Supervising Attorney from 2000 to 2014. She was a Soros Justice Fellow at the Urban Justice Center from 1998 to 2000. Djemal earned a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Wynne S. Carvill. Djemal is a Democrat.

Keith Kern Fong, 58, of Oakland, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Fong has served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Saundra Brown Armstrong at the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California since 2009. He was Senior Counsel and Associate at Kerr & Wagstaffe LLP from 2002 to 2009. Fong served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Saundra Brown Armstrong at the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California from 2001 to 2002, from 1993 to 1998 and in 1992. He was General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer at Discovery Foods from 1998 to 2001 and an Associate at Gordon & Rees from 1990 to 1993. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ronni B. MacLauren. Fong is a Democrat.

David A. Pereda, 42, of Oakland, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Pereda has served as Special Counsel at the Oakland City Attorney’s Office since 2018. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California from 2016 to 2018 and as a Deputy City Attorney at the Oakland City Attorney’s Office from 2013 to 2016. He was a Staff Attorney at Nixon Peabody LLP from 2010 to 2013 and an Associate at Filice Brown Eassa McLeod LLP from 2005 to 2010. Pereda earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jon R. Rolefson. Pereda is a Democrat.

Kern County Superior Court

Wendy L. Avila, 52, of Bakersfield, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Kern County Superior Court. Avila has served as Senior Assistant Inspector General at the Office of the Inspector General since 2017. She was an Adjunct Lecturer at California State University, Bakersfield from 2008 to 2016 and served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Kern County District Attorney’s Office from 1999 to 2017, where she was a Family Support Officer from 1997 to 1999. Avila earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Steven M. Katz. Avila is the first Latina Judge ever appointed to the Kern County Superior Court. She is a Democrat.

Bernard C. Barmann, Jr., 54, of Bakersfield, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Kern County Superior Court. Barmann has been a Partner at Kuhs & Parker since 2019, where he was an Associate from 2011 to 2019. He was Counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP from 2008 to 2011 and a Partner at Hirschmann & Barmann LLP from 2002 to 2007. Barmann was an Associate at Proskauer Rose LLP from 2000 to 2002 and Special Counsel and Associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP from 1990 to 1999. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. Barmann fills the vacancy of a new position created on September 24, 2019. Barmann is registered without party preference.

Jason W. Webster, 47, of Tehachapi, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Kern County Superior Court. Webster has served as a Commissioner at the Kern County Superior Court since 2017. He served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Kern County District Attorney’s Office from 2008 to 2017 and was a Sole Practitioner from 2007 to 2008. Webster served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2007 and was an Associate at Andrus and Associates from 2004 to 2005. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Baylor University Law School. He fills the vacancy of a new position created on September 24, 2019. Webster is a Republican.

San Diego County Superior Court

Anthony J. Campagna, 49, of San Diego, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Campagna has served as Division Chief of the South Bay Branch of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office since 2018, where he has served in several positions since 1999, including Assistant Division Chief and Trial Prosecutor. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gale E. Kaneshiro. Campagna is registered without party preference.

Jose Scher Castillo,42, of San Diego, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Castillo has served as an Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California since 2010. He served as a Staff Attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 2007 to 2010 and was an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law from 2009 to 2010. Castillo served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Micaela Alvarez at the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David B. Oberholtzer. Castillo is a Democrat.

Jinsook Ohta, 44, of San Diego, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Ohta has served as Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the California Attorney General’s Office since 2019, where she was a Deputy Attorney General from 2011 to 2019. She served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Barry Ted Moskowitz at the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California from 2007 to 2008 and from 2001 to 2002. Ohta was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law from 2006 to 2007. She was an Associate at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton from 2003 to 2006 and at O’Melveny & Myers from 2002 to 2003. Ohta earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Lantz Lewis. Ohta is a Democrat.

Victor N. Pippins, Jr., 42, of San Diego, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Pippins has been a Sole Practitioner since 2018. He was an Associate at Higgs Fletcher and Mack LLP from 2011 to 2018 and a Trial Attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego Inc. from 2007 to 2011. Pippins earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Adrienne A. Orfield. Pippins is registered without party preference.

Victor M. Torres, 62, of San Diego, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Torres has served as a Commissioner at the San Diego County Superior Court since 2018. He was a Sole Practitioner from 1991 to 2018 and a Trial Lawyer and Intern at Federal Defenders of San Diego Inc. from1988 to 1991. Torres earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Stephanie Sontag. Torres is registered without party preference.

Tulare County Superior Court 

Ricky Tripp, 49, of Visalia, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Tulare County Superior Court. Tripp has served as a Commissioner at the Tulare County Superior Court since 2019. He served as Supervising Deputy District Attorney at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2019. Tripp was an Associate at The Law Office of Nelson, Rozier and Bettencourt from 2003 to 2006, at The Law Office of Sawl and Netzer from 2002 to 2003 and at The Law Office of John A. Barker and Associates from 2001 to 2002. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the San Joaquin College of Law. He fills the vacancy of a new position created on September 24, 2019. Tripp is registered without party preference.

The compensation for each of these positions is $214,601.