According to a report that was released last year, San Joaquin County needs at least six judges to adequately handle the load of cases that works its way through the county’s criminal justice system.
And now the county needs only five.
On Tuesday the San Joaquin County Superior Court announced the appointment of Esmerelda Zendejas – a native of Stockton – to the bench of the San Joaquin County Superior Court. Zendejas was appointed to a new position on Feb. 17. The new judgeship was created by California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 1, 2022.
Since 2022 she has been an attorney at the Department of Industrial Relations and served as a Deputy Attorney General at the California Attorney General’s Office from 2020 through 2022. Prior to going to work for the State of California Zendejas was the Agricultural Worker Program Director at California Rural Legal Assistance in 2020 and held several positions at the organization from 2006 through 2020 – including staff attorney and agricultural worker program regional director.
“I am privileged to have been appointed to serve on the bench in the County of San Joaquin and, as a native of Stockton, I commit to help carry forward justice on behalf of all members of this community,” Zendejas said in a statement announcing her appointment.
The formal and public swearing-in ceremonies have yet to be scheduled.
The California Judicial Council released a report in 2022 that outlined how California needed nearly 100 judges in order to meet the demand of the most populous state’s increasing caseload. The majority of those needed positions – 52, to be exact – were allocated between Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
But the Central Valley also accounted for a large percentage of that need – with 31 of those necessary positions being located between Bakersfield and Sacramento.
Last year the potential existed for the county to lose another judge after Judge Michael Mulvihill was arrested following a DUI crash in Stockton. In October, the Commission on Judicial Performance formally censured Mulvihill for driving under the influence and lying to both bystanders and police at the scene of the incident. Mulvihill consented to the censure, which is one step below being removed from office.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
