Voting-Clarity.org

Plain-language, sourced explanations of your ballotNovember 3, 2026 · Los Angeles County

Superior Court Judge, Office 131 — David Ross vs. Donna Tryfman

Current as of · voting-clarity.org

November 3, 2026 County of Los Angeles ballot. AI-generated analysis. Your sample ballot and official voter guide are the official documents; the links below let you check each claim. This page explains what is on the ballot; it is not legal advice.

Voting Clarity's research is done by Claude, an AI made by Anthropic. Anthropic gave no money to either candidate in this race [20].

Summary

Office 131 has no incumbent on the ballot. In March 2020, Michelle Kelley was the only candidate for Office 131.[1] For 2026 the county extended the filing period for Office 131,[2] which state law allows when the sitting judge does not file to run.[3] David Ross is a Los Angeles County deputy alternate public defender. Donna Tryfman is a Los Angeles County deputy public defender.[4] In the June 2 primary, Tryfman got 37.3% and Ross 33.2%, so the top two meet again in November.[5]

Your Vote:

Vote for one. Judicial races are nonpartisan; no party appears on the ballot.[6] Superior Court judges hear criminal, civil, family, juvenile, probate and other cases[4] for a six-year term.[7] Candidates are listed here in ballot order, which follows the Secretary of State's random alphabet drawing (R before T).[8][9] Both candidates are criminal defense lawyers in county offices. Ross's campaign says deputy alternate public defenders do the same work and have the same courtroom duties as deputy public defenders.[10]

The candidates at a glance

QuestionDavid RossDonna Tryfman
1. BackgroundAlternate public defender, former TV reporter; licensed since 1994Public defender, homicide cases; licensed since 1995
2. Bar ratingQualifiedQualified
3. Discipline recordNone listedNone listed
4. EndorsementsAbout 90 judicial officers, many unions, Democratic and progressive clubs, prosecutors' union, former DA CooleyPublic Defender, about 47 judicial officers, prosecutors' union, crime-victims PAC, unions, newspapers, former DA Cooley
5. MoneyNone found.None found.
6. Ballot designationDeputy Alternate Public Defender, County of Los AngelesDeputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles
7. Why the seat is openNo incumbent filedSame
8. Track recordNo named cases foundNo named cases found
9. Past runs and ratingsNone found.None found.
10. Court sanctionsNone found.None found.
11. Connected endorsementsThird-place primary finisher Carlos DammeierFourth-place primary finisher Troy Slaten
12. Primary result33.2%37.3%
13. Criminal chargesNone found.None found.

Key Questions Answered

David Ross

  1. Background: Deputy alternate public defender in Los Angeles County since 2000, after starting as a Riverside County deputy public defender. He reports more than 10,000 clients, 113 jury trials and more than 2,000 preliminary hearings, and has taught legal writing and served as a Superior Court judge pro tem.[4] His campaign says he earlier spent 10 years as a television news reporter and documentary producer and worked as a congressional aide.[10] Admitted to the State Bar Dec. 12, 1994 (about 32 years).[11]

  2. Bar rating: Qualified. The report lists only one non-participant in all races, a candidate in Office 64, so Ross took part.[12]

  3. Discipline record: None. His profile shows active status and no discipline or administrative actions.[11]

  4. Endorsements: About 90 current and retired judicial officers, most from Los Angeles County; the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys; about 18 union locals and councils, including several ILWU locals, IBEW Local 47 and UNITE HERE Local 11; about 30 Democratic and progressive groups, including La Defensa, LA Forward, Knock LA and the Working Families Party; former District Attorney Steve Cooley and former Attorney General Bill Lockyer; and dozens of deputy district attorneys and public defenders (campaign list).[10] Endorsements come from both prosecution and defense lawyers, and cluster among labor and Democratic groups.

  5. Money: None found.

  6. Ballot designation: “Deputy Alternate Public Defender, County of Los Angeles.”[13] It matches his State Bar address, the Alternate Public Defender's Office in Torrance.[11] No designation challenge was found.

  7. Why the seat is open: No incumbent filed (see Summary). Why the sitting judge did not file could not be verified from available sources.

  8. Track record: Cases reported in the news are not a representative sample of a candidate's work. No news story or court record naming a case he handled was found.

    • Win/conviction record: An individual conviction rate (or case-outcome record) is not published and could not be verified from available sources.

  9. Past runs and ratings: None found.

  10. Court sanctions: None found.

  11. Endorsements with a connection: Carlos Dammeier, who finished third in the Office 131 primary, is on his judicial endorsement list. Anthony (A.J.) Bayne, a candidate in Office 87, also endorses him.[10]

  12. Primary result: 33.2% (546,032 votes), second of four.[5] The county's results site confirms he advanced but does not display vote counts.[14]

  13. Criminal charges: None found.

Donna Tryfman

  1. Background: Deputy public defender in Los Angeles County since 1998, now in the Major Crimes division handling homicide and other serious felony cases. She reports more than 100 jury trials, has supervised attorneys, served as president of the Public Defenders Association, worked in a collaborative drug court, and served as a judge pro tem.[4] Her campaign says she earlier practiced with the Law Offices of Mark J. Werksman and once served on LACBA's Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee.[15] Admitted to the State Bar June 12, 1995 (about 31 years).[16]

  2. Bar rating: Qualified. She is not listed as a non-participant, so she took part.[12]

  3. Discipline record: None. Her profile shows active status and no discipline or administrative actions.[16]

  4. Endorsements: Public Defender Ricardo D. García and other Public Defender managers; about 47 judicial officers, including Court of Appeal Justice Anne H. Egerton; the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, Crime Survivors PAC and the Mexican American Bar Association; SEIU Local 721, UNITE HERE Local 11, IBEW Local 11 and the Western States Carpenters; about 15 Democratic clubs; former District Attorney Steve Cooley and Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur and Jesse Gabriel; and, per the campaign, the Southern California News Group papers, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise and Colorado Boulevard (campaign list).[15] Endorsements come from both prosecution and defense lawyers. Both candidates list the prosecutors' association, Steve Cooley and UNITE HERE Local 11.[10][15]

  5. Money: None found.

  6. Ballot designation: “Deputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles.”[13] It matches her State Bar address, the Los Angeles County Public Defender.[16] No designation challenge was found.

  7. Why the seat is open: Same as above (see Summary).

  8. Track record: Cases reported in the news are not a representative sample of a candidate's work. No news story or court record naming a case she handled was found.

    • Win/conviction record: An individual conviction rate (or case-outcome record) is not published and could not be verified from available sources.

  9. Past runs and ratings: None found.

  10. Court sanctions: None found.

  11. Endorsements with a connection: Troy Slaten, who finished fourth in the Office 131 primary, is on her judicial endorsement list.[15]

  12. Primary result: 37.3% (612,858 votes), first of four, 4.1 points ahead of Ross; Carlos Dammeier got 15.0% and Troy W. Slaten 14.5%.[5] The county's results site confirms she advanced.[14]

  13. Criminal charges: None found.

Sources

  1. LA County Registrar, March 2020 results (past county results 2013–2024 searched for both names)

  2. LA County Registrar, 2026 extension list

  3. Elections Code Sec. 8023(b)

  4. Our Weekly, Oct. 7, 2026 (secondary)

  5. Santa Monica Daily Press, June 2 primary results (secondary)

  6. Calif. Const. Art. II, Sec. 6

  7. Calif. Const. Art. VI, Sec. 16(c)

  8. Elections Code Sec. 13112

  9. Secretary of State, random alphabet drawing, Aug. 13, 2026

  10. Ross campaign site (self-reported)

  11. State Bar profile, Ross #174591, checked Oct. 14, 2026

  12. LACBA Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee, 2026 Final Report, April 22, 2026

  13. LA County Registrar, 2026 final candidate list

  14. LA County Registrar, June 2, 2026 results

  15. Tryfman campaign site (self-reported)

  16. State Bar profile, Tryfman #176744, checked Oct. 14, 2026

  17. NetFile campaign finance (not cited above)

  18. Criminal-charges search: press releases of the U.S. Department of Justice (justice.gov), the Los Angeles County District Attorney and the California Attorney General, searched for both candidates (not cited above)

  19. LAist 2026 (secondary) (not cited above)

  20. Los Angeles County campaign finance records (NetFile), searched for "Anthropic" Oct. 16, 2026, https://public.netfile.com/pub2/?AID=LAC; and Cal-Access, Anthropic PBC (filer 1491817), https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1491817, as of Oct. 16, 2026.

Reviewed in the original: LACBA 2026 report (full); both State Bar profiles; Registrar candidate list, extension list and results data; NetFile committee, filing and transaction searches; statutes and constitution sections; both campaign home pages (full endorsement lists); Our Weekly and LAist articles.

Could not be reviewed: