Why I am running 

I’m running for Judge to help protect the system that gave me refuge 25 years ago. I came to this country alone with $200 and hope. I started as a dishwasher and built a life from the ground up. As I came to appreciate how beautiful this country is, I also saw its flaws — especially racial injustice and prejudice.

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Serving as a juror changed my life. I witnessed a Black man targeted because of his race and charged with murder. That experience led me to the law — to fight injustice and to help ensure innocent people are never wrongfully prosecuted.

Today, I serve as a Deputy District Attorney in Mental Health Court, where I have tried over 100 cases to verdict. My work sits at the intersection of LA's most urgent challenges: mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness, and public safety. 

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Outside the courtroom, I serve as a County LGBTQ Commissioner, amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. And as an adjunct professor, I teach law to ESL students from immigrant backgrounds.

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I’m running for Judge because too many people no longer believe equal justice exists in our courts — in part because the judiciary does not always reflect the communities it serves. As an immigrant who learned English and worked two jobs putting myself through school,  I have lived many of the struggles people bring into our courtrooms. I would bring that lived experience to the bench and be among the first openly gay people of color elected to the Los Angeles Superior Court.

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I am living proof of the American dream, and I ask for your support to help preserve equal justice for others.