Donna Tryfman Seeks LA County Superior Court Seat

Tryfman, who currently serves in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Major Cases Unit, said her candidacy is rooted in fairness and due process.

On her campaign website she notes,  "As a public defender, my role required me to uphold the Constitution, protect due process, and ensure that the law is applied fairly, regardless of a person's background or resources. That responsibility demanded discipline, careful analysis of facts and law, and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure - skills that translate directly to the work of a trial judge."

Tryfman’s career includes more than three decades of courtroom experience, more than one hundred jury trials and service as president of the Public Defenders Association.

Born in New York to Holocaust survivors, Tryfman came to Beverly Hills in the mid‑1970s when her parents “heard that Beverly Hills had a better school district” and rented an apartment on La Peer Drive so she could attend Horace Mann School. She graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1985 and later earned degrees from Brandeis University and the University of La Verne School of Law. Beyond her legal career, she has immersed herself in local civic life: she volunteered as a teen court proctor at Dorsey and Hamilton high schools and served on the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee. In Beverly Hills she acted as commissioner and chair of the city’s Rent Stabilization Committee and chaired the Beverly Hills Unified School District Facilities Committee.

Her local profile grew in 2020 when she ran for the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education. A BHUSD alumna and Beverly Hills High School parent, she campaigned on the premise that “kids’ interests must come first” and pledged to give students and the community a voice. She also called for a smooth return to in‑person learning and faster progress on district construction projects. Tryfman finished fourth in that race with 4,540 votes, or 16.9 percent of the total.

As chair of Beverly Hills’ Rent Stabilization Commission in 2022, Tryfman described the body as a quasi‑judicial forum for appeals related to rent moratoriums and habitability disputes. She said her approach was to let everyone speak and to ensure that “everyone feels that they have been heard”. In interviews she characterised herself as an “organizational facilitator,” tasked with breaking complex issues into steps and guiding the commission toward consensus.

Tryfman’s community involvement extends to legal organizations. She serves as vice chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s California Conference of Bar Associations and has previously chaired the group’s Criminal Justice Section. She has also presided as a judge pro tempore in traffic, small claims and unlawful detainer cases.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court election will appear on the March 2026 ballot. Tryfman enters a competitive judicial field as she seeks to bring a distinct judicial philosophy and leadership approach to the Superior Court. Early endorsements include several sitting and retired judges, public defenders and Beverly Hills leaders. If elected, she said she would bring to the bench an unwavering commitment to impartiality, preparation and respect for every person before the court.