Tal K. Valbuena, a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, is running for Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge in the Draper Seat. The nonpartisan race appears on the Nov. 3 general election ballot across Los Angeles County, including in Pasadena.

Superior Court judges hear criminal and civil cases, rule on family law matters and oversee mental health proceedings. Valbuena, a refugee from Pakistan who immigrated to the United States at age 18, works in the Hollywood mental health court, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Times reported he is expected to be the first gay person of color elected to the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

He was nominated to the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission by the district attorney and appointed by the Board of Supervisors, the Times reported.

Candidate information

  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: High school diploma, Adamjee Government Science College (1999); bachelor's degree, Indiana University (2005); juris doctor, The George Washington University (2011)

Experience and public service

Valbuena has served as a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office since 2016, according to his BallotReady profile. Before joining the county office, he served as a deputy district attorney in the Orange County District Attorney's Office from 2015 to 2016.

He is a commissioner on the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission, according to the commission's website. He has also served as an adjunct professor at International American University since 2018, according to his BallotReady profile.

On the issues

Mental health justice: Valbuena said he serves in mental health court, where he "routinely seeks court intervention in conserving and rehabilitating the county's most violent mentally ill offenders." He said he is passionate about victims and LGBTQ+ rights and considers this work his calling, according to his response published on the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission website.

Valbuena's campaign has centered his experience handling mental health cases in the court system, according to the Times. He has described the work as a personal mission shaped by his background as an immigrant and his commitment to public service.

Endorsements

The following organizations have endorsed Valbuena, according to each endorser's published materials:

Candidate issue positions are drawn from Valbuena's published responses on the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission website. Endorsements are attributed to the endorsing organizations' own published materials.