Court seats are something of a rarity because judges are not politicians. People have expressed some questions around the factors to apply in evaluating judges or those who challenge them, and that part of the reason for this Forum Tonight is to help explore that. A quick word on logistics for the forum. Were going to proceed in a round robin format. Among the three candidates. Each candidate will provide a selfinterest section and a 1 to 2 minute Opening Statement within our time frame, each candidate will have about 3 to 4 minutes to answer each question, and i will chime in to the extent anybodys running over time so we can be sure to have enough time for all the questions. Well also leave some time at the end of the forum for questions from the audience. You can do that using the q a function at the bottom of your screen. Just type in the question and well see it i. And also for each candidate to make a closing statement, uh, for the purposes of this forum, ill be putting similar questions to each candidate, allowing for the differences that exist between sitting judges and the challengers. So without further ado, lets start the introductions and im going to pass it over to assistant District Attorney roland to introduce herself and make her Opening Statement. Sure. Thank you. Um, thank you for having me here. Im very happy to be here. And participate. Uh, my name is jean roland, and i am a veteran prosecutor. I have been in the San FranciscoDistrict Attorneys office for 23 years. I started in the misdemeanor unit, and i worked my way through almost all the units in that office, including Domestic Violence, stalking, elder abuse, juvenile child abuse, gang violence, sexual assault. And im currently the head of the general felony trial unit, where i oversee the majority of the felony crimes that are in San Francisco. I am running for superior court because i value Public Safety, and i love this city. I grew up in San Francisco. I went to west portal lutheran. I went to lowell high school, i went to uc berkeley, and i am a lifelong Public Servant, and im stepping forward to make a difference in this city. Now, i had originally planned to leave early because i have a previously scheduled event, and i still may have to leave early depending upon how long this forum lasts. However, given my interactions with the organization, the organizers of this forum today, i feel that i need to stay on for as long as i can to ensure that i am treated fairly and equitably in this setting. So if i do have to leave early upon, but i will stay for as long as i can. Uh, so that we can all have a meaningful discussion about this very important race. Thank you. Thank you, miss roland. Uh judge thompson, thank you, terry, for the opportunity. My name is judge patrick thompson. Im proud to have been appointed to the bench in march 2022 by governor gavin newsom. I was appointed after, uh, a long career in San Francisco. I came out here like so many people, uh, seeking great weather. I graduated from Harvard Law School and started at the storied law firm of pillsbury, madison and sutro, where i was in the last Partnership Class in that firm. While i was at pillsbury, i rose to the level of the National Chair of their antitrust practice, and then moved on to work in two other major law firms in the city. During my 30 years of practice, i worked on a broad array of different civil matters, but. But while i was doing that, i also had extra time. And during my extra time i was involved in the community, both in the Legal Community involving myself with various professional organizations, including this Bar Association. I was on the executive committee of the state bars antitrust section and unfair competition section, and served in the leadership for of the American Bar Association antitrust section and on their Standing Committee on publishing. I also worked in community in San Francisco, working with a number of significant nonprofits, including chairing the boards of california Pacific Medical center, grace cathedral, the Lawyers Committee for civil rights, and because im an arts groupie. I was chair of the mfa board of the american conservatory theater. After doing all that work in community , i decided to apply to become a judge because i thought i could use my skills as a lawyer to do something more meaningful full time for the city that i live in and work in and love. And i applied. And after four rounds of extensive vetting with hundreds of evaluations, im proud to have been appointed. And since then ive been serving in the superior court, working at the hall of justice, where i run my courtroom, as i describe in my materials by the book. And for those who know me, thats consistent with how i practice. I respect the law in the legal process, and everyone who comes before me thank you. Judge thompson. Judge becker, good evening. Thank you very much for the opportunity to address the Bar Association and everybody whos observing on zoom. Ive been a judge for 30 years. My name is michael beckert. Ive served in every division of the court. Ive served in every courthouse. Icus in the San Francisco court. Before that, i spent 21 years at the law firm mccutchen, doyle, brown and andersen. Uh, and while i was at that firm, i was also, uh, on the board of the asian law caucus, where i served as the chair foi wa also on the board of the Lawyers Committee for civil rights, where i served as an officer of that board, and i was the chair of the Asian American justice center, which is a national Asian American, uh, organization devoted to social justice. Uh, because of my history, experience and community involvement, i enjoy the endorsement of a great number of organized asians. Uh, the Democratic Party endorsed me. Uh, the vote was is that, uh, i think 26 members voted to endorse me. No one voted for my opponent. I have all 48 of the judges who are able to vote. Uh who are able to endorse candidates, uh, supporting me on the San Francisco superior court. Uh, i, i have the support of all the state level San Francisco elected officials. Scott wiener, matt haney, and phil ting. I have the support of the San Francisco sheriff, paul miyamoto, and Seven Members of the San Francisco board of supervisors. My opponent has only one super visor endorsed him. The Bar Association has rated me as well qualified. Uh my opponent declined to be evaluated by the Bar Association at all. Uh, i have been endorsed by six different Bar Associations, including, uh, all of the asian American Bar Associations, the latinx Bar Association, bay leaf, the lgbtq. I Bar Association, and others. Um, my opponent has no Bar Associations endorsing him. I have the San Francisco chronicles endorsement, and i have the endorsement of sing tao daily, uh, which is the only chinese language daily in the bay area. So i am happy and proud to have the support of, uh, people and organizations that i respect. And i hope that i can enjoy your support at the polls as well. Thank you, judge baker. Well, lets, uh, lets go to the questions. Um, im going to begin with the first question, and i will we will be moving around the order of candidates will begin with miss rowland for this one, and then we will shift around. Uh, miss rowland, im wondering if you can share with our audience the reasons. Elaborate a little bit more on the reasons that you are running for this seat. So, um, im running because i am experienced. Im qualified. I value Public Safety. Ive been a Public Servant to San Francisco for 23 years, and im ready to do more for San Francisco as a judge. I have, as a prosecutor, i have reviewed thousands of cases where i have had to weigh the evidence and facts that have been presented to me, and i have spoken to the people who were involved in those cases and made hard, tough decisions. Um, San Francisco is important to me. I did grow up here and, uh, seeing the changes that have been happening in San Francisco, i, i am a Public Servant at heart, and i feel very compelled to want to, uh, enter this race and do more as a as a judge. Very good. Thank you. Uh, judge thompson, um, im wondering if you could speak to the reasons for that for which you you sought appointment to the bench in the first place . And why now voters should vote to retain you. Thank you. I sought to apply for the position after having had the opportunity to work on the merit Selection Panel for the Northern District of california, and looking at the criteria used to evaluate judges in that context, and also serving on the Judiciary Committee of the Bar Association of San Francisco. After looking at those criteria and being involved with a number of nonprofits and evaluating my strengths, my career, i decided that i would submit an application because i thought that my skill set will match my interest in serving my community full time, and i. I spent months on the application. I polled friends and reflected on the decision to apply to become a judge, and i chose to do that. And then through the process, refined my thinking about it because i had the opportunity to be evaluated at each stage. Of those that process first, the regional review happens and then hearing feedback through the commission and then through this Bar Association, and also in consultation. When i spoke with the governors appointment secretary and so through that entire process, it galvanized my commitment to being engaged in this role. And i was proud to have been appointed in april in march 2022 and started serving in april 2022. And i am committed to continuing the work that weve been doing in the superior court of San Francisco. My first year, my first assignment, as i indicated, my background was all in civil. My first assignment was in traffic because i was so engaged with the work of the court and because i was a hard worker and someone who was willing to engage with the steep learning curve, i was permitted by a presiding judge to be an itinerant judge and see a lot of different departments in the criminal courts, and i was appointed to a permanent position in of in permanent. By that i mean for a year and preliminar hearings by the presiding judge, where i currently sit, where i decide whether theres enough evidence for trial, i am of the view that after going through the education that i have with my fellow new judges, going to new judges orientation and judges college, im really committed to the work that we do in the courts in california, because i think its incredibly important work, and i think its really important to have a fair and independent judiciary theory free from politics, free from a specific agenda, no matter how noble it might seem like Public Safety, because i think that the role of judges is to stay in our lane and to be that independent voice. And i think that the depth and breadth of my expertise and that vast experience that i have is among the core factors that voters should consider in deciding to retain me in this role. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Um, judge bagert, im going to put the same question to you. Why did you seek appointment to the bench in the first place . And why should voters vote to retain you . Uh, before i say that, i should point out, i think that there are two races going on here. Theres, uh, a an election for seat one, which is my seat. And then the seat that, uh, judge thompson currently occupies. And and, uh, assistant District Attorney roland is challenging, uh, judge thompson on that race. Uh, i am here for seat one, and my opponent is not here, so. So when im speaking, uh, it is in furtherance of my interest in retaining my seat, uh, as seat one. Ill give you the same answer that i gave some 13 plus years ago when i applied for and was, uh, thoroughly vetted for my appointment to the bench in 2010, uh, public service. I had spent a career at the highest levels of Legal Practice in San Francisco, and i wanted to do something that i thought would give back to the community. Im named after my grandfather, eisaku, and my grandfathers parents. My great grandparents were killed in an earthquake when he was only seven years old. So he was raised by his uncle, a man named sanusi. And sanusi was actually educated in the state of oregon, uh, where he learned about social justice and democracy. And he brought those ideas back to japan and, and, uh, he was an outspoken critic of the emperor and of the military aggression that was drawing japan into a disastrous future. So as a result of that, that he and a group of other dissident were rounded up in the fall of 1910, uh, they were tried by a corrupt judge in secret, without a jury. Uh, they were quickly convicted, and my the man who raised my grandfather, sanosuke, was, was, uh, sentenced to death. So in january of 1911, he was executed by hanging that his story reminds me that judges need to be, uh, a check on the power of government. The awesome power of government that judges need to be faithful to the law, not to the political motivations of the other parts of government and in my case, case. I took an oath to support and defend the constitution. So that is what i have done for the past 13 years. And i hope to continue doing that with your help. Thank you. Judge baker. Well go on to the next question. Uh, and judge thompson, im going to start with you for this round. Um you mentioned that you are currently on the preliminary hearing calendar. Uh, do you expect that you will continue you in that calendar, or could you be reassigned as part of a periodic shuffle undertaken by the presiding judge . I expect that, uh, i will be reassigned and assuming i retain my position, the one of the good things about the bench is that you have the opportunity to serve in a number of different roles and by serving in a number of different roles, you are able to have the perspective of working on a number of different assignments and different kinds of matters. Uh, i started out as i indicated in traffic. That was my initial assignment. Ive been assigned for preliminary hearings for a little more than a year. Assignments are typically for a year. However, they can change. And so my assignment for this calendar year is also preliminary hearings. It is not unusual for judges to be moved. Uh from preliminary hearings to either criminal trials or to other criminal matters, or into family court or into civil matters. And so, uh, i have every expectation, uh, that i will be rotated into a number of different places. Uh, if im fortunate enough to have a long legal, a long career on the bench. Very good. Thank you. Uh, judge bagert, ill. Ill go to you with the same question. Um, do you expect that you will continue in the assignment to the collaborative courts and the care act court in particular . Or similarly, could you be reassigned as part of a periodic shuffle by the presiding judge . Uh, i could be reassigned. Uh, i was chosen in 2022 to build and then preside over the care court. Uh, so i spent 2023, uh, or a good portion of that in that effort. Um, i also have, for the past five years, presided over three different treatment focused courts the drug court, the Community Justice court, and the veterans justice court, which is particularly near and dear to me because my father was a 20 Year Air Force veteran in, uh, in the course of doing that work, i have worked extensively with the Mayors Office as the board of supervisors was the, uh, precinct captains in the tenderloin, the chief of the bart police, the department of Public Health, uh, and all of the community provider, those that provide service uses for those courts, in addition to our justice partners, uh, the District Attorneys office, the public defenders office, and the Panel Attorneys on the conflicts panel. So those relationships, uh, have been built over a long period of time, and they are important for doing the kind of work, uh, that i have been doing. So so there is some id say, um, inertia, uh, that has, uh, been respected in the past, which would, uh, lead the presiding judge to want to have some stability in those types of courts. Uh, however, ive been doing this work for a good period of time, and ive worked in juvenile juvenile dependency, juvenile justice, family law, ci