Donna Tryfman Advances to November Runoff in Los Angeles Superior Court Race

Veteran public defender and former Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commissioner Donna Tryfman has advanced to the November general election after finishing first in the primary for Los Angeles County Superior Court Office No. 131.

Tryfman received 612,858 votes, or 37.31%, according to the final Los Angeles County election results. David Ross placed second with 546,032 votes, or 33.24%. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, Tryfman and Ross will compete in the Nov. 3 runoff.

Carlos Dammeier finished third with 245,969 votes, or 14.97%, followed by Troy Slaten with 237,894 votes, or 14.48%.

Tryfman has worked as a Los Angeles County deputy public defender for more than 30 years. She currently serves in the office’s Major Crimes Division, where she handles special-circumstance homicide cases. During her career, she has completed more than 100 trials and served as a temporary judge in traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer matters.

Her professional experience also includes serving as president of the Public Defenders Association, supervising attorneys in juvenile court and mentoring young people through Teen Court programs. In Beverly Hills, Tryfman served as both a commissioner and chair of the city’s Rent Stabilization Commission.

Tryfman said her campaign would remain focused on courtroom experience, judicial temperament, integrity and independence.

“I am not running to be one group’s judge,” Tryfman said. “I am running to be everyone’s judge. Every person who enters a courtroom deserves to be heard, treated with dignity, and judged fairly under the law.”

Tryfman’s campaign has received endorsements from labor organizations, legal groups, elected officials and newspaper editorial boards. Supporters listed by the campaign include Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys, the Mexican American Bar Association and several regional Democratic clubs.

The campaign has also announced endorsements from the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, UNITE HERE Local 11, IBEW Local 11 and Teamsters Local 25. Several Southern California newspaper editorial boards endorsed Tryfman during the primary, including the Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star-News, Daily Breeze and Metropolitan News-Enterprise.

Slaten, who finished fourth in the primary and serves as a California administrative law judge, has since endorsed Tryfman in the runoff.

Ross is also a veteran defense attorney and serves as a senior trial deputy in the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office. The November contest will determine who fills the open judicial seat.

“As we move toward November, I will continue focusing on what matters most: qualifications, fairness, integrity, and service,” Tryfman said.