Endorsement: Tal K. Valbuena for L.A. Superior Court in Office No. 2

Judge Robert Draper has been an excellent jurist on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. When he was appointed to the court by Gov. Jerry Brown 13 years ago, it was after a long period of prominence in L.A. legal circles, rising to become a managing partner at the prestige firm of O’Melveny & Myers.

Draper was also 71 at the time of his appointment, one of the oldest judges ever to be appointed to the court.

Now he is 84, running for another term on the bench, at the end of which he would be 90 years old. He is also in the middle of a hearing in front of the state commission that oversees judicial complaints, accused of violating myriad ethics rules and other indiscretions. We recommend those thinking about voting for him read the complaints against him and his response.

Among the incidents documented about the judge was his dissemination in 2023 of “sensitive juvenile dependency materials,” including photographs, after which, “Presiding Judge Jessner ordered that your access to court email servers and all case management systems be terminated, effective immediately.” The Metropolitan News-Service notes Draper has been doing “chambers work only” since 2023.

Though he says he is dedicated to continuing to serve, Draper was also rated Not Qualified by the L.A. County Bar Association in its evaluations of the judicial races in the June election.

On a similar note, his endorsement from the legally-focused publication Metropolitan News-Enterprise came down to the following reasoning: “It is inevitable that the judge will be removed from office, whether on the basis of misconduct or disability. While Gov. Gavin Newsom has made some questionable judicial appointments, any selection by him would follow scrutiny by the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and would be bound to result in Draper's successor being someone with greater potential than either of the election challengers.”

Unlike the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, however, we cannot recommend voters check off Draper’s name on the ballot and believe there is indeed a sensible alternative.

We endorse his opponent Tal Khan Valbuena, a deputy district attorney who has been rated Qualified by the Bar, for Seat 2.

Valbuena, an immigrant from Pakistan, has experience with both juvenile and mental health cases. Prior to his time at the Los Angeles County DA’s office, he worked in civil litigation. “Together, these experiences have allowed me to see the justice system from multiple perspectives and understand both the legal and human dimensions of the cases that come before the court,” he told us.

“I am running for Office No. 2 because I want to help restore confidence in our court system and ensure that our judiciary is fair, firm, and humane,” he further explained. “As an immigrant who started my life in this country working as a dishwasher and went on to become a public servant, I understand the real-life impact of the law. I am committed to a courtroom where every person is treated with dignity, respect and fairness.”

Vote for Tal Valbuena, the only qualified candidate in the race.

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 10:08 AM.