all right. (clapping.) >> so good evening, everyone. and welcome to the 2014 journal candidate for the san francisco seat 20 it's hosted by the bar association of san francisco i'm u yund w the director of the forum we appreciate you coming out to hear about the candidates this is broadcast between now and the election the election day did june 3rd remember to vote. it has a horrifies of hosting

the fourmd and our purpose is it give you the opportunity to see your candidates face to face and hear if the candidates on a adversity of topic so thank you all for being here we hope you leave tonight more informed. please allow me to introduce you to the moderator affidavit so long as and dr. is the finland director of the california center at the berkley law school they concern the california skfrm and the supreme court. he received his defense counsel rat with his ears on constitutional lieu and very well published in this ear before going to men and women numerator e full-time he was in

active law practice including a deputy attorney general with the california justice department and a deputy district attorney in alameda-contra costa county he serves on the board of directors on the bar association in san francisco in addition to other community work throughout the community. please join me in welcoming dr. decreeing 0 to the podium >> thank you, everyone for coming. the candidates for judicial asset are daniel a attorney in private practice and kimberly the deputy public defender in san francisco. you'll be your moderator there are card we passed it out ask

questions at the end of the program feel free to pass out the cards. one of the things is use the principles that were development be the league of women's voters we're going to go adapt some of the principles their relevant and this is a project i'm personally involved that. as a prelude to the prmdz we'll see the projects to help the members of the public and members of the bar evaluate the candidates. we don't think on judges to apart if the candidates and apart from political or partnering concerns we have to

evaluate they're willing innocenceness to decide cases. judges should not be influenced by the fear of losing their position. so with that in mind the important voters project has come up with the principles or characteristics of a judicial candidate and those are integrity, professional experience, judicial temperament and experience in the law and service. and that's the basis of the first set of questions i'm going to ask. we're note procedurally i'll go down the row to getting give the candidates the time to give a office of citizens complaints and then i'll 0 go in the reserve direction and the candidates are minded and my colleague will be showing the

cards to show them when their time is up. without further ado, i'm turn to mr. flores you have two minutes to make our opening statement and good evening and thank you for your interest in san francisco's judiciary i'm a native san francisco that's parade since 13 years and become my career here where i handled many types of legislation with personal injury and landlord tenant law in 2005 i opened up my solo office to become educational to the community. i sat down the practice in 2007 to be with the defender for months. i've been a criminal defense lawyer h that allows me to be in court i've seen some good

decisions made by judges and some one could say not so good i've seen the impacts those decisions have made on the lives of not only my clients sometimes, the victims' families and different people who rely on our justice system to get justice. and because of that and because of those experiences i've decided i wanted to become a judge and imprinted that to one of my mentors i'm proud of what i've accomplished and like to have an opportunity to accomplish more in san francisco as a judge >> thank you, mr. flores an office of citizens complaints by ms. kingsley. >> hello i've lived in worked in san francisco for over 32 years i raised my so on son who who's 82 here as well

unfortunately, when the san francisco suffered it's shooting no 18993 my family was particularly affected my husband was one of the 8 killed. since then i've worked hard to reduce renews gun violence i created a program that helped at risk youth to learn skills that will void violence in their lives and served on the san francisco police commission i believe that everyone in san francisco should be safe and life is a prerequisite for life and hastens. i have a joint law degree and an may be and have been a lawyer for thirty years. i've been in private practice helping people in a board range of civil matters but what makes

we nuclei have over 10 years of experience as a neutral every moderator and a hearing officer and hundreds of hours of training and over tennessee years of the training using the same skills required of a judge. i've helped she will not one hundred of litigation cases in disputes successfully as a police commissioner i heard trial like i conducted trial like hearings and decided serious police discipline cases. i wish to bring that board experience to the bench of service to the san francisco supreme court >> thank you, ms. kingsley. ms. williams your office of citizens complaints >> i'm a native san francisco and graduated from mercy city

hall and i also hold a jd from the university of los angeles. i have served with the city and county of san francisco since 1995 i led the implementation of the san francisco community justice center to help those who commit low risk officers. prior to my city service i held a position where i focused on the civic protection of the public i'm rubbing running for a judge for the people. you may have heard any tag line experience, equality and district those will help me to bring the accessibility and adaptability to the courtroom. more and more in recent years

the courts have suffered dow due to several cutbacks people of color who are disadvantaged are the reality. through the decades as an attorney i provide the people with convalescent judicial service to increase the accessibility which our justice system and the "x"cy and giving the due process quickly is the law i've worked to safeguard every people's justice. i have a judiciary service to insure openness and as well as exploring mediation and having media pools necessary to trial >> i must cut you have but

since we're going in reserve order i mentioned my feeling is there are nuclear qualities of the judicial candidates you have to consider apart if an odor political power the judges are held to a particular standard and rules in the correspondent. with that nmentd we've come up with those in evaluating a candidate district open and upright and professional competent a keep intelligent and strong writing skills and having a judicial temperament and respect new e full and composed and service being commit to the administration of justice so ms. williams the question is explain how you've demonstrated those qualities >> okay.

with regard to integrity i noted one the core traits that i possess is district. and as a prosecutor it is my job to determine into ascertain what is just and fair not only for the city and county of san francisco and the state of california by treating the defendants with care and concern and make sure the public is safe. with regards to competent i've got the skill sets and servicing the public interests. i have hund my skills in appellant and litigation work and continue to do so as well as service to my community i've been a member of the women's health project many people come before the court rigging assistance i think there's needs

to be addressed how we can adapt to the court and addresses did needs of the victim. >> do you feel you've done anything in your service demonstrating temperament. >> the job of the prosecutor is to determine what's fair and just i have to make decisions how the cases are resolved and charged and how we go about speaking with the victim and defendants defendant to determine the best course of action to make sure that justice is served. >> thank you, thank you your time is almost expired ms. kingsley explain how you've demonstrated in your life and career 13wib9 and judicial competent and service to the

community. >> thank you. dignity i've consistentlyly worked asia officer of the court in providing assistance to the community on matters that are important and using my skills as a lawyer and knowledge of the allowing law to do that and have stayed with that while on the ethic commission we felt the public felt it was important to have partial public financing and brought it to the board of supervisors and when it failed went to the voters and got to pass. this is one example of staying with things over 20 years i thought this was important to work for reduction of cabin violence. i already went through that despite the potential reugsz

concussions that sometimes entails in terms of taking on large other public interests. temperament i have already conducted trial like hearings. i've already maintenance the decorum of the courtroom and in competent this overlaps as part of my thirty years of experience 20 has been american people advocate attorney representing clients and the other 10 years has been sitting in a judge like stance and meeting cases bringing them to a conclusion that is successfully revolving cases in mitigation >> mr. flores how will your quality in your life in

integrity and judicial competent and other traits been demonstrated and the integrity and demeanor are two of the things that have been pointed out by the 27 judges that disorganized my candidacy. i learned in the marine core has stuck with me and i've indicted that in court with respect to experience we have 3 courthouses in san francisco the justly and the criminal correspondent and the civil court with respect to service i've been a member of the lawyers association ever since i moved back to san francisco in 1971 and currently open my third membership i've taken pro bono matters in a trial in 2012 when i did for

free and at last we say all those chashgsdz are included in what is part of the decision-making process by the thomas warren publishes called the northern lawyers magazine in 2010 and 2011 i've earned the designation of the rising star and in 2013 i earned it as a super lawyer so those things have been vetted and i appreciate the opportunity to talk about that >> you have 30 seconds you didn't address the temperament it's the most hard to demonstrate. >> as part of the demeanor one thing i think i've demonstrated is patience when you deal with clients and have to explain to them sometimes in a heated an

matted conversation what the outcome of their case maybe especially, when it's not what we want to hear and there's no mask possesstion but your giving them the advise. >> mr. flores your expired by question two is how do you define the roll of the trial court judge it is really a request in two parts the trial judge is a judge sitting in san francisco to the extent you how do you define the roll of a trial judge in san francisco. >> i think its unique in san francisco we don't have single assignment positions to most of the time with the absence of

complex mitigation the judge receives the case for the very first time the role of the trial court judge sginz with how the judge treats his or her staff and the environment created in the kr50r78 then flows to the party and how they submit their briefs and the attention given to the briefs and the expectations that is communicated to the parties how that particular kroourm courtroom is going to be acceptable and not acceptable then it flows to the jury and being conscious and being respectful of their time. in san francisco we enjoy is a bench it includes many fine judges that have hund in the skills and created an environment where the trial court judge gets to the concern

degree watches the parties in action and have them 2350ig9 out their case and go on the minority of evidence as it goes on in the trial >> you have a few seconds left could i analysis sisters this. >> the role of the judge is unique ca you do not i can't think of the analysis. >> how do you define the real of 0 trial court judge >> thank you. the some of the words of the justice i read a book my beloved world she talks about the various levels of court and she talks about at the trial level you're dealing with facts and preens as opposed to the

appellant level and aortic the supreme court the finality of that. at the trial level your arguing are dealing with people and facts that have begun before you and i think that is, you know, that's an important focus as opposed to for example, another forum are the police hearings that i conducted the same trial like setting you receive the evidence and you hear if the parties but it is age different a different fracture in the secret the body of laws as the department as opposed to the broad allowing law in the state that we're working with in san francisco we have a rich my diverse commissioner vietor culture the access to the types

of courts having the interpreter services and understanding the diverse cultures and have different certifies the probate and family court and we've got a number of other community justice courts and more recently the veterans justice center. and restored to justice within the criminal court setting. it's quite unique to san francisco having all those other alternative departments or brandishes, if you will, they're not really branches with you time it up >> thank you. i was both to do that ms. williams define the roll of a trial judge and to the

city and county of san francisco how its unique. >> i think it's not unique to san francisco one must realize that the parties come before the court wishing to be heard and to be heard simply and clearly with fairness and disability and it is incumbent it is a place of last resort and to trial understand the motivation whether by belief or argument of the parties it's incumbent on the judge to define the exchanges of the court anhihow they treat the jury and staff and the expectation of the court it is important to the extent possible to employ remedication measures to rove matters prior to trial understanding that the

court is under severe budget cuts and has an interest in expediting justice with a fairness and integrity. be that as it may if a trial goes forward all parties you'll litigants whether in a criminal or civil context they want their cases settled you, you felt this being a trial judge in san francisco is the same anywhere >> anywhere integrity and judicial temperament and license plate to the party is important whether in san mateo or marina county people want fairness they come to the court it's the place of last resort. >> having and now to question 3 is and perhaps is related to

something. what do you see as the greatest challenge firing san francisco court and if elected what you or, i do about it >> in the late 2008, 2009 one of the most entire consequences of the budget shareholders for california were the cuts to the court. i think this was daylight savings time the court 0 staff was cut and the interpreters the windows have been closed for many and only those who have the wherewith all and financial resources can gain access so we need to look at the 15esh89 for that the economics and the court needs to look at adaptability how are we addressing the matters before us whether in a

criminal context where the judiciary can be the original narrates of the efforts to take the stress off the trial court by the way, the civil cases how can we employ the judiciary remitigation efforts to discuss the courts and come to a resolve that's important. with assistance how we assist those who come before the court who can't afford a lawyer many of those things have gone by the wayside with the budget the judiciary is the only one we rely on for the funding i will do everything to support the justice to get more money from

the governor to address those matters in the 58 county >> thank you. i will pause to commend you in pronouncing the chiefs name correctly and now many kingsley what is the greatest exchange fatiguing the aspire and what do you do about it. >> there's no doubt that the financial crisis the court is under right now is the greatest challenge it effects everyone every thing the cut back in the staffing. it effects getting documents filed and it effects the service to the pursuing public in terms of elderly people needing to wait far, far longer to have their needs addressed in terms of care. and children having to wait far

longer 33 than they should have for the services for the placement in the foster care. those kinds of things the civil cases are hit the harder in of the court in terms of the new realty the 130ish9 in 2014 to get the civil cases to trillion has become enlong gated so many in terms of adding more judges and staff will help also the electronic filing will help which is already in process at the court. what i can do first of all, i'm going to work very hard i have thirty years of experience as an advocate and hearing officer moderator i'll bring that and work fetish and the other thing

i'll work with the presiding judge to fix the problems they've identified and bring more alternative components into the court bring back the moderators into the small claims for people self-represented and bring back early settlement mitigations as part of the courts services >> ms. kingsley i have to you tell you off. mr. flores if elected what could do a is a trial judge to look at the most serious problems >> with respect to what the problems is i agree with my opponents as to the budget crisis and budget cuts being the biggest problems fac