Donna Tryfman Makes Her Case for a Bench Above Party Politics

Beverly Hills resident Donna Tryfman is making her case for Los Angeles County Superior Court with a record of serious criminal trial work, leadership in the legal profession and support that crosses political lines. Running for Office 131 in the nonpartisan Nov. 3 election, the veteran public defender says the bench should serve everyone who enters a courtroom.

In written remarks supplied for this article, Tryfman rejected the idea of becoming a judge for a political side.

I do not profess to be a judge for a "side." I am everyone's judge.

She enters the runoff after finishing first in the four-candidate June primary. The county's final official returns show Tryfman received 612,858 votes, or 37.31%, ahead of Ross with 546,032 votes, or 33.24%.

Her support includes organizations with different political priorities. Americans for Democratic Action's Southern California chapter lists her among its judicial endorsements, while a Republican Party of Los Angeles County guide for the June primary recommended her for Office 131 through Reform California. The Democratic organization has a dual endorsement in the November contest, supporting both Tryfman and her opponent, David Ross.

Tryfman's campaign endorsement list also includes Democratic Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur and Jesse Gabriel, former state Sen. Robert Hertzberg and former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley. Her organizational supporters include labor unions, the Mexican American Bar Association and the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, according to the campaign.

Her coalition also includes a former competitor. In a July 16 campaign announcement, Tryfman identified administrative law judge Troy Slaten, who ran against her in the primary, among her endorsers.

Thrive LA, which describes its voter guide as pragmatic and nonpartisan, also recommends Tryfman. Its explanation emphasizes her capital homicide work, courtroom experience and service as a temporary judge.

That courtroom record is central to her candidacy. Her campaign biography reports more than 100 jury trials involving serious and violent felonies and a current assignment in the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Major Cases Unit, focusing on capital homicide litigation. She joined the office in 1998. In her April 22 West LA Democratic Club candidate questionnaire, she described herself as one of ten attorneys assigned to the unit handling special-circumstance homicides.

On her campaign website, Tryfman connects her courtroom work to the demands of serving on the bench.

That responsibility demands discipline, careful analysis of facts and law, and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure...

Tryfman also received the 2025 Gideon Award as Felony Attorney of the Year, a distinction she identifies in the information supplied for this article as selected by her peers. The award is also cited in Thrive LA's endorsement.

"My leadership has been consistent," Tryfman said in the written remarks supplied for this article. Her record includes positions within the legal profession and in local public service.

The biography published by Americans for Democratic Action lists her past service as president of the Public Defenders Association and as deputy in charge at Eastlake Juvenile Court from 2016 through 2019. That assignment included supervising attorneys, mentoring younger lawyers and working in a collaborative drug court with prosecutors, judges and treatment providers.

Her legal service also includes work as a judge pro tem in traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer matters. In the April questionnaire, she reported being appointed by the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2018 and having sat approximately 40 times as a judge pro tempore. She also reported a 2025 court appointment to its Mediation Volunteer Panel.

Americans for Democratic Action's biography lists her as vice chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's California Conference of Bar Associations delegation and notes service on the association's Criminal Justice Section board.

In Beverly Hills, her public service has included chairing the Rent Stabilization Commission. The city's September 2022 Mayor's Cabinet agenda identifies her as commission chair, documenting a leadership role outside her criminal defense practice.

Her campaign biography also lists chairing the Beverly Hills Unified School District Facilities Committee. Americans for Democratic Action's profile notes her volunteer work as a Teen Court proctor at Dorsey and Hamilton high schools.

Her questionnaire also provides a specific picture of how she would run a courtroom. Tryfman pledged to provide adequate interpreters, explain proceedings in simple language and slow down when necessary to help people understand.

It is of utmost importance to me that everyone feels heard and seen in my courtroom.

Those priorities extend beyond her professional resume. The July campaign announcement pointed to her experience as a widow, single mother and daughter of immigrants as shaping her approach to judicial service.

The Los Angeles County Bar Association's Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee rated Tryfman "Qualified" in its April 27 announcement. Its evaluation considers professional ability, experience, competence, integrity and temperament. Ross received the same rating.

The contest is between two longtime defense attorneys. Ross describes 30 years of service as a public defender and alternate public defender on his campaign website. His campaign also lists support from the Association of Deputy District Attorneys and Cooley, making those endorsements shared rather than exclusive to Tryfman.

Tryfman describes herself in her written remarks as "reasonable, humble, and experienced." Her case to voters rests on extensive trial work, experience presiding in court, professional and civic leadership, and a commitment to treating people fairly regardless of political affiliation.

Disclosure: Russell Stuart of The Beverly Hills Standard, a BHUSD board member, is listed by Tryfman's campaign among her endorsers.