California local trial court judicial elections, 2020

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Main articles: State judicial elections, 2020 and Local trial court judicial elections, 2020

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2020, Ballotpedia covered the following local elections in this state:

* Anaheim, California \- City council
* Bakersfield, California \- Mayor, city council
* Chula Vista, California \- City council
* Fremont, California \- Mayor, city council
* Fresno, California \- Mayor, city council
* Irvine, California \- Mayor, city council
* Long Beach, California \- City council
* Los Angeles, California \- City council
* Oakland, California \- City council, city attorney
* Riverside, California \- Mayor
* Sacramento, California \- Mayor, city council
* San Bernardino, California \- City council
* San Diego, California \- Mayor, city council, city attorney
* San Francisco, California \- BART board districts, superior court judgeships, board of education, community college board, board of supervisors
* San Jose, California \- City council
* Santa Ana, California \- Mayor, city council
* Stockton, California \- Mayor, city council
* Alameda County, California \- Supervisors, superior court seats, county board of education, AC Transit District board, Alameda County Flood Control Board/Zone 7 Water Agency, Union Sanitary District board, Alameda County Water District board, Bay Area Regional Transit (BART) board, East Bay Regional Park District board, East Bay Municipal Utility District board, and Washington Township Healthcare District board
* Fresno County, California \- Board of supervisors, judgeships, county board of education, irrigation district board, community college district board, park district board, memorial district board, water district board, and public utility district board
* Kern County, California \- Board of supervisors, county supervisors, superior court judgeships, county board of education, East Niles Community Services District board, Kern Community College District board, and Kern County Water Agency board
* Los Angeles County, California \- County supervisors, district attorney, superior court judges, community college districts, and water districts
* Orange County, California \- Board of supervisors, board of education trustees, superior court judge, community college districts, water districts, and hazard abatement district
* Riverside County, California \- County supervisors, county board of education, superior court judgeships, Riverside Community College District, Western Municipal Water District, and Edgemont Community Services District
* Sacramento County, California \- Board of supervisors, county board of education, superior court judgeships, community college district, municipal utility district, water districts, fire district, and flood control district
* San Bernardino County, California \- Board of supervisors, superior court judgeships, county board of education, water districts, and college districts
* San Diego County, California \- Board of supervisors, county board of education, college districts, irrigation district, water district, healthcare districts, and superior court judges
* San Joaquin County, California \- County supervisors, county board of education, superior court offices, superior court judgeships, community college district, irrigation district, fire protection district, and water district
* Santa Clara County, California \- County board of supervisors, superior court judges, county board of education, community college districts, special districts, and water district

If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the links for more information about the elections. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2020. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.

## Contents

* 1 Election rules
* 1.1 Primary election
* 1.2 General election
* 2 Selection method
* 3 Additional elections
* 4 Pivot Counties
* 4.1 Presidential results by legislative district
* 5 See also
* 6 Footnotes

## Election rules[edit]

### Primary election[edit]

Only candidates for the superior courts compete in primary elections.

* If a superior court judge runs unopposed for re-election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot, and he or she is automatically re-elected following the general election.[1][2]

* If a candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, that candidate automatically wins the general election as well. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two compete in the November general election.[3]

* Write-in candidates may file to run against an incumbent within 10 days after the filing deadline passes if they are able to secure enough signatures (between 100 and 600, depending on the number of registered voters in the county). In that case, the incumbent would appear on the general election ballot along with an option to vote for a write-in candidate.[2]

### General election[edit]

* Superior court candidates that advance from the primary election compete in the general election.

* Superior court incumbents facing competition from write-in candidates appear on the ballot.[2][3]

## Selection method[edit]

See also: Nonpartisan election

The 1,535 judges of the California Superior Courts compete in nonpartisan races in even-numbered years. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary election, he or she is declared the winner; if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is held during the November general election.[4][5][6][7]

If an incumbent judge is running unopposed in an election, his or her name does not appear on the ballot. The judge is automatically re-elected following the general election.[4]

The chief judge of any given superior court is selected by peer vote of the court's members. He or she serves in that capacity for one or two years, depending on the county.[4]

Qualifications
Candidates are required to have 10 years of experience as a law practitioner or as a judge of a court of record.[4]

## Additional elections[edit]

See also: California elections, 2020

What's on your ballot?

Click here to find out using My Vote

## Pivot Counties[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in California. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won California with 61.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 31.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, California voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, California voted Democratic all five times. In 2016, California had 55 electoral votes, which was the most of any state. The 55 electoral votes were 10.2 percent of all 538 available electoral votes and were 20.4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.

#### Presidential results by legislative district[edit]

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in California. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[8][9]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 58 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 38.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 66 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 40.3 points. Clinton won 11 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 12.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 80 state Assembly districts in California with an average margin of victory of 13 points.

2016 Presidential Results by State Assembly District

District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control
1 | 39.63% | 57.31% | R+17.7 | 36.09% | 56.75% | R+20.7 | R
2 | 64.68% | 30.51% | D+34.2 | 62.20% | 28.98% | D+33.2 | D
3 | 42.41% | 54.46% | R+12.1 | 39.47% | 53.31% | R+13.8 | R
4 | 63.16% | 33.86% | D+29.3 | 63.03% | 29.95% | D+33.1 | D
5 | 41.27% | 55.92% | R+14.7 | 38.51% | 54.85% | R+16.3 | R
6 | 38.59% | 59.09% | R+20.5 | 41.17% | 52.02% | R+10.9 | R
7 | 67.59% | 29.61% | D+38 | 67.63% | 25.69% | D+41.9 | D
8 | 51.72% | 45.62% | D+6.1 | 51.77% | 41.03% | D+10.7 | D
9 | 60.56% | 37.52% | D+23 | 61.47% | 32.89% | D+28.6 | D
10 | 73.76% | 23.28% | D+50.5 | 75.65% | 17.96% | D+57.7 | D
11 | 60.96% | 36.87% | D+24.1 | 58.86% | 35.17% | D+23.7 | D
12 | 45.19% | 52.50% | R+7.3 | 43.11% | 51.05% | R+7.9 | R
13 | 64.23% | 33.88% | D+30.4 | 62.97% | 31.79% | D+31.2 | D
14 | 68.80% | 28.72% | D+40.1 | 69.55% | 24.47% | D+45.1 | D
15 | 86.82% | 9.56% | D+77.3 | 87.39% | 7.04% | D+80.4 | D
16 | 57.74% | 40.10% | D+17.6 | 64.47% | 29.23% | D+35.2 | R
17 | 87.07% | 9.36% | D+77.7 | 88.12% | 6.95% | D+81.2 | D
18 | 86.89% | 10.23% | D+76.7 | 85.89% | 8.44% | D+77.5 | D
19 | 78.94% | 18.38% | D+60.6 | 81.63% | 13.34% | D+68.3 | D
20 | 75.74% | 22.15% | D+53.6 | 75.52% | 19.12% | D+56.4 | D
21 | 55.61% | 42.03% | D+13.6 | 54.63% | 39.46% | D+15.2 | D
22 | 71.43% | 26.31% | D+45.1 | 75.16% | 19.75% | D+55.4 | D
23 | 43.46% | 54.71% | R+11.2 | 43.95% | 50.78% | R+6.8 | R
24 | 72.16% | 24.96% | D+47.2 | 78.19% | 15.93% | D+62.3 | D
25 | 72.40% | 25.26% | D+47.1 | 73.61% | 20.90% | D+52.7 | D
26 | 41.15% | 56.68% | R+15.5 | 41.54% | 52.93% | R+11.4 | R
27 | 76.36% | 21.54% | D+54.8 | 77.76% | 17.29% | D+60.5 | D
28 | 66.64% | 30.77% | D+35.9 | 70.63% | 23.08% | D+47.6 | D
29 | 69.95% | 26.66% | D+43.3 | 70.00% | 22.96% | D+47 | D
30 | 66.99% | 30.86% | D+36.1 | 66.70% | 27.32% | D+39.4 | D
31 | 61.98% | 36.21% | D+25.8 | 62.13% | 32.93% | D+29.2 | D
32 | 56.20% | 41.81% | D+14.4 | 56.50% | 37.98% | D+18.5 | D
33 | 41.80% | 55.51% | R+13.7 | 40.02% | 54.61% | R+14.6 | R
34 | 33.96% | 63.85% | R+29.9 | 34.07% | 60.21% | R+26.1 | R
35 | 47.82% | 49.42% | R+1.6 | 49.57% | 43.43% | D+6.1 | R
36 | 48.79% | 48.48% | D+0.3 | 49.94% | 43.86% | D+6.1 | R
37 | 60.97% | 36.28% | D+24.7 | 64.27% | 29.21% | D+35.1 | D
38 | 46.73% | 50.84% | R+4.1 | 49.64% | 44.39% | D+5.2 | R
39 | 73.75% | 23.67% | D+50.1 | 74.64% | 19.80% | D+54.8 | D
40 | 53.14% | 44.72% | D+8.4 | 54.08% | 40.01% | D+14.1 | R
41 | 59.74% | 37.72% | D+22 | 62.82% | 31.27% | D+31.5 | D
42 | 44.98% | 52.93% | R+7.9 | 45.61% | 49.70% | R+4.1 | R
43 | 67.35% | 29.62% | D+37.7 | 68.94% | 25.45% | D+43.5 | D
44 | 52.37% | 45.51% | D+6.9 | 57.12% | 36.99% | D+20.1 | D
45 | 63.46% | 34.12% | D+29.3 | 67.36% | 27.39% | D+40 | D
46 | 73.73% | 23.65% | D+50.1 | 76.20% | 18.48% | D+57.7 | D
47 | 71.49% | 26.54% | D+44.9 | 70.10% | 24.80% | D+45.3 | D
48 | 64.08% | 33.44% | D+30.6 | 65.60% | 28.50% | D+37.1 | D
49 | 64.69% | 33.26% | D+31.4 | 67.57% | 27.17% | D+40.4 | D
50 | 70.79% | 26.51% | D+44.3 | 76.72% | 18.33% | D+58.4 | D
51 | 83.48% | 13.50% | D+70 | 84.05% | 10.19% | D+73.9 | D
52 | 65.01% | 32.92% | D+32.1 | 65.78% | 28.71% | D+37.1 | D
53 | 84.64% | 12.59% | D+72 | 84.83% | 9.63% | D+75.2 | D
54 | 83.62% | 13.88% | D+69.7 | 85.15% | 10.12% | D+75 | D
55 | 45.77% | 52.23% | R+6.5 | 49.92% | 44.61% | D+5.3 | R
56 | 62.14% | 36.26% | D+25.9 | 64.21% | 31.24% | D+33 | D
57 | 63.71% | 34.01% | D+29.7 | 65.92% | 28.39% | D+37.5 | D
58 | 70.24% | 27.80% | D+42.4 | 72.54% | 22.26% | D+50.3 | D
59 | 93.24% | 5.19% | D+88 | 90.70% | 5.09% | D+85.6 | D
60 | 51.32% | 46.31% | D+5 | 52.48% | 41.97% | D+10.5 | D
61 | 63.43% | 34.55% | D+28.9 | 62.47% | 31.62% | D+30.9 | D
62 | 80.81% | 17.00% | D+63.8 | 82.05% | 13.06% | D+69 | D
63 | 76.06% | 21.73% | D+54.3 | 77.35% | 17.38% | D+60 | D
64 | 88.74% | 9.98% | D+78.8 | 86.21% | 9.61% | D+76.6 | D
65 | 51.90% | 45.68% | D+6.2 | 56.73% | 37.28% | D+19.4 | D
66 | 54.18% | 43.24% | D+10.9 | 59.97% | 33.60% | D+26.4 | D
67 | 39.61% | 58.33% | R+18.7 | 38.89% | 55.94% | R+17.1 | R
68 | 42.55% | 55.12% | R+12.6 | 49.42% | 44.58% | D+4.8 | R
69 | 67.37% | 30.30% | D+37.1 | 71.94% | 22.33% | D+49.6 | D
70 | 67.38% | 29.93% | D+37.5 | 68.13% | 25.09% | D+43 | D
71 | 38.47% | 59.51% | R+21 | 38.19% | 56.26% | R+18.1 | R
72 | 46.71% | 51.06% | R+4.4 | 51.40% | 43.13% | D+8.3 | R
73 | 38.68% | 59.36% | R+20.7 | 43.89% | 50.38% | R+6.5 | R
74 | 45.14% | 52.42% | R+7.3 | 50.71% | 43.29% | D+7.4 | R
75 | 39.42% | 58.50% | R+19.1 | 43.22% | 50.68% | R+7.5 | R
76 | 48.76% | 49.04% | R+0.3 | 53.11% | 40.38% | D+12.7 | R
77 | 48.25% | 49.83% | R+1.6 | 55.16% | 38.94% | D+16.2 | R
78 | 63.15% | 34.08% | D+29.1 | 67.48% | 25.85% | D+41.6 | D
79 | 61.21% | 36.91% | D+24.3 | 64.24% | 30.04% | D+34.2 | D
80 | 69.47% | 28.67% | D+40.8 | 73.15% | 21.34% | D+51.8 | D
Total | 60.35% | 37.19% | D+23.2 | 62.25% | 31.89% | D+30.4 | \-
Source: Daily Kos

## See also[edit]

Local courts | California | Other local coverage

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* Local trial court judicial elections, 2020
* Courts and judges by county
* Judicial selection by state
* Judicial elections

* California elections, 2020
* Judicial selection in California
* Public policy in California
* Endorsers in California

* Municipal elections, 2020
* School board elections, 2020
* Local ballot measure elections, 2020
* Recall elections, 2020

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed April 22, 2014
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed April 22, 2014
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: California," archived October 2, 2014
5. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Safeguarding California's judicial election process," August 21, 2011
6. ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8203," accessed May 21, 2014
7. ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8140-8150," accessed May 21, 2014
8. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
9. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

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