Voting-Clarity.org

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

Superior Court Judge, Office 64 — Maria Ghobadi vs. Rhonda Haymon

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 [29].

Summary

Office 64 has no incumbent on the ballot. Judge Joan M. Chrostek won the seat unopposed in 2020.[1] For 2026 the county extended the filing period for Office 64.[2] State law allows that when the sitting judge does not file to run again.[3] Maria Ghobadi is a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney. Rhonda A. Haymon is a Los Angeles County deputy public defender.[4] In the June 2 primary, Ghobadi got 44.0% and Haymon 42.2%, 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 are trial judges who hear criminal cases and civil cases, including family, probate and juvenile cases,[7] for a six-year term.[8]

The candidates at a glance

QuestionMaria GhobadiRhonda A. Haymon
1. BackgroundProsecutor; licensed since 2006Public defender; licensed since 2001
2. Bar ratingWell QualifiedQualified
3. Discipline recordNone listedNone listed
4. EndorsementsDA, police and prosecutor unions, 70 judicial officers, county Democratic PartyPublic Defender, Mayor Bass, three judges, progressive groups
5. MoneyNo county NetFile filings; committee FPPC #1488221No county NetFile filings; committee FPPC #1463944
6. Ballot designationDeputy District Attorney, County of Los AngelesDeputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles
7. Why the seat is openSitting judge did not fileSame
8. Track recordNo named cases foundNo named cases found
9. Past runs and ratingsNone foundLost 2024 race; rated Not Qualified in 2024 after declining to take part
10. Court sanctionsNone foundNone found
11. Connected endorsementsSeat's last holder, and Judge Lynn Olson, whom Haymon challenged in 2024None found
12. Primary result44.0%42.2%

Key Questions Answered

Maria Ghobadi

  1. Background: Deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County; she began as a prosecutor in San Joaquin County.[9] Her campaign says she has spent over 11 years as an LA County prosecutor, more than six and a half in the Gang Homicide Division, and earlier prosecuted lawyer misconduct for the State Bar.[10] Admitted to the State Bar June 1, 2006 (about 20 years).[11]

  2. Bar rating: Well Qualified. The report lists only Francisco Amador as declining to take part in Office 64, so Ghobadi took part.[12]

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

  4. Endorsements: DA Nathan Hochman, former DAs Jackie Lacey and Steve Cooley, the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, the LA Police Protective League, ALADS, 70 judicial officers, the LA County Democratic Party, SEIU 721, AFSCME Council 57, five Southern California News Group papers and Colorado Boulevard (campaign list).[13] Endorsements cluster among prosecutors and law enforcement, plus Democratic and labor groups. The Metropolitan News-Enterprise (MetNews) endorsed her.[14]

  5. Money: No committee under her name appears in LA County's online campaign-finance portal.[15] Her campaign site names the committee Maria Ghobadi for Judge 2026, FPPC #1488221.[13]

  6. Ballot designation: "Deputy District Attorney, County of Los Angeles."[16] It matches her State Bar address, the LA County District Attorney's Office.[11] No designation challenge was found.

  7. Why the seat is open: Judge Chrostek did not file for re-election (see Summary). No reviewed source states why.

  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. Her trial count varies by source: 87 jury trials including 23 homicides[17] or more than 85 including 21 homicides.[14]

    • Win/conviction record: None found. No individual conviction rate or case-outcome record is published.

  9. Past runs and ratings: No earlier campaign for judge appears in her campaign bio or the news coverage reviewed.[10]

  10. Court sanctions: None found.

  11. Endorsements with a connection: Her judge list includes Joan M. Chrostek, the seat's last holder, and Lynn Olson, whom Haymon challenged in the 2024 election.[13]

  12. Primary result: 44.0% (750,184 votes), first of three.[5] The county's results site confirms she advanced but does not display vote counts.[18]

Rhonda A. Haymon

  1. Background: Deputy public defender: Orange County from 2001, LA County since 2004.[19] She reports over 100 jury trials, work in drug and restorative-justice courts, and teaching at Southwestern Law School.[9] Admitted to the State Bar April 30, 2001 (about 25 years).[20]

  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.[20]

  4. Endorsements: Public Defender Ricardo García, Mayor Karen Bass, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Rep. Maxine Waters, Judges Holly Hancock, Ericka Wiley and George Turner, La Defensa, UNITE HERE Local 11, Democratic clubs, and the LA Sentinel (campaign list).[21] Endorsements cluster among public-defense and progressive groups. Some groups, such as ILWU and the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats, endorse both candidates.[13][21]

  5. Money: No committee under her name appears in LA County's online campaign-finance portal.[15] Her campaign site names the committee Rhonda Haymon 4 Judge, FPPC #1463944.[22]

  6. Ballot designation: "Deputy Public Defender, County of Los Angeles."[16][4] It matches her State Bar address, the Office of the Public Defender.[20] One newspaper printed "Deputy District Defender";[23] no other source uses that wording. 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 tried was found.

    • Win/conviction record: None found. No individual conviction rate or case-outcome record is published. Her campaign calls her "Ms. Acquittal" but gives no figures.[19]

  9. Past runs and ratings: In March 2024 she ran for Office 12 against Judge Lynn Olson and lost, 452,185 votes to 804,949.[24] LACBA rated her Not Qualified that year. Its report lists her as one of two candidates who declined to participate, and the committee rated her on the information available to it.[25] LAist reported that she declined after asking whether the committee had made changes following 2022 bias concerns and getting no reply.[26]

  10. Court sanctions: None found.

  11. Endorsements with a connection: None found.

  12. Primary result: 42.2% (717,844 votes), second of three, 1.8 points behind Ghobadi; Francisco Amador got 13.8%.[5] The county's results site confirms she advanced.[18]

Sources

  1. LA County Registrar, 2020 list, p. 22

  2. LA County Registrar, 2026 extension list

  3. Elections Code Sec. 8023(b)

  4. LAist 2026 (secondary)

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

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

  7. California Courts Self-Help

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

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

  10. Ghobadi campaign bio (self-reported)

  11. State Bar profile, Ghobadi #242945, checked Oct. 14, 2026

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

  13. Ghobadi campaign site (self-reported)

  14. MetNews editorial endorsing Ghobadi, Mar. 3, 2026 (secondary)

  15. NetFile campaign finance

  16. VOTE411 candidate responses

  17. Los Angeles Times judicial guide, Oct. 1, 2026 (secondary)

  18. LA County Registrar, June 2, 2026 results

  19. Haymon campaign bio (self-reported)

  20. State Bar profile, Haymon #212814, checked Oct. 14, 2026

  21. Haymon campaign endorsements page (self-reported)

  22. Haymon campaign site (self-reported)

  23. Colorado Boulevard (secondary)

  24. LA County Registrar, March 5, 2024 final Statement of Votes Cast, p. 131

  25. LACBA Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee, 2024 Final Report, pp. 2, 4, January 24, 2024

  26. LAist 2024 (secondary)

  27. LA County Registrar, June 2, 2026 semifinal Statement of Votes (not cited above)

  28. LA Sentinel (secondary) (not cited above)

  29. 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 and 2024 final reports; both State Bar profiles; Registrar 2020 list (Office 64 entry) and 2026 extension list; county Statements of Votes Cast (Office 64, June 2026 semifinal; Office 12, March 2024 final) and results data; NetFile name search; Elections Code Sec. 8023; Calif. Const. Art. II, Sec. 6 and Art. VI, Sec. 16; California Courts self-help page; both campaign sites (home, bio and endorsement pages); VOTE411 responses; MetNews editorial; Los Angeles Times guide (Office 64 section); LAist 2026 and 2024; Our Weekly; LA Sentinel; Colorado Boulevard; Santa Monica Daily Press.

Could not be reviewed: