LOCAL LAWYERS RUN FOR JUDGESHIPS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff writer

Three Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley candidates are running for the state Superior Court bench in Los Angeles County in the June 6 election.

Prosecutors Hayden Zacky is seeking Judicial Office 102 and Daviann Mitchell Office 18. Acton attorney and law school dean Larry Layton is running for Office 144 in his seventh bid for a seat on the bench.

What makes someone run for Superior Court? And what makes people vote for a judicial candidate?

Since the unification of Municipal Court with Superior Court in 1998, all judges run in countywide races, not just in the community around the courthouse where they might serve.

Most incumbent judges run unopposed. There is only one office of nearly 100 in which the incumbent is being challenged. That leaves seven offices to be decided by the voters with no incumbent. If any candidate receives more than 51 percent of the vote on June 6, the person is a winner who doesn`t have to run again in the general election in November.

Valencia resident Zacky, 41, a twice-removed cousin of the Zacky family chicken farmers, is a deputy district attorney assigned to the Lancaster courthouse.

"I became a prosecutor because it's exciting, and I get to be in court every day, doing the right thing," he said. "I've worked on some serious, violent cases in the last 11 years and put some bad guys away. I'm ready to take it to the next level."

He said his time in court has given him respect for the rights of the jurors.

"I really try to be mindful of jurors' time. Nobody really wants to serve on a jury, and it's difficult to disrupt their time. We need to be efficient as well as balancing the defendant's right to a fair trial."

To take his mind off courtroom stress, Zacky takes to the streets and trails on one of his customized bicycles. He took up triathlons when he graduated from law school and hasn't since stopped training in biking, running and swimming.

"I try to put in 40 to 50 miles a weekend," he said. He sometimes rides with members of Santa Clarita Velo, but his work schedule - as well as his obligations as a husband and father of four children - precludes a group ride.

Layton doesn't let his six unsuccessful runs stop his determination to don the long black robes.

"You're only defeated when you stop running," he said. "I want to have a courtroom where I can facilitate justice for all, not just defendants, but victims and staff as well."

Asked how he picked Office 144 as his spot, Layton likened the race to a game of football.

"No matter what you think is coming, something else will come along and change things," he said.

He also said the expense of running might keep many qualified candidates from stepping forward. Filing fees are $1,400 unless candidates can gather nearly 6,000 signatures on nomination papers.

And having a candidate's statement in the ballot is pricey even for well-off attorneys.

"It's next to impossible for some people to pay for them," Layton said. "For a statement in English, it's $45,000; if you want it in English and Spanish, it's $90,000."

Zacky echoed Layton's concerns about the costs, noting that he spent the final day for filing at the Registar/Recorder's Office with a written statement and a check in his hand, pondering whether or not to spend the money. He found out no one else in his race was submitting a statement, so he put his check back in his pocket.

Layton, who has filled in for court commissioners and judges in San Fernando when his office was in the San Fernando Valley, has been an attorney since 1994. He also owns the Larry H. Layton School of Law in Acton.

A community activist in the Antelope Valley, he is a familiar figure at school board meetings and civic functions.

Mitchell said that she hopes voters spend a little time getting to know the people they are putting on the bench.

"Voters often pick people based on their surnames, or if they are prosecutors or defense attorneys, or if it happens to be a woman running, they might pick that candidate," she said.

"But judges decide where your money goes when you die. They decide ... trust cases and make other life-and-death decisions, like who gets custody of your children if you die or there is a problem."

"Elections are so important," she continued. "People don't realize how significant their check mark is.

"For information, visit the Registrar/Recorder's Office Web site at www.lavote.net.