Candidate for
Judge of the Superior Court; County of Los Angeles; Office 117

Biography of Carol Najera

I have served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney for over 28 years, since graduating from the University of Southern California Law School. At law school I distinguished myself by earning a position on the Hale Moot Court Honor Society and attaining the level of Quarter-finalist in the annual competition.

After becoming a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, I have worked prosecuting and convicting hundreds of defendants for crimes ranging from death penalty murders to kidnapping, home invasion robberies, sexual assaults, hate crimes, hardcore gang crimes, asian organized crimes and domestic violence. I, also, successfully co-prosecuted the Menendez Brothers for the murders of their parents.

In my capacity as a deputy district attorney, I have worked in the Major Crimes Division (Special Trials)(An elite unit that handles the most sensitive and difficult cases in the county), Organized Crime and Anti-Terrorist Division (A unit that, at the time that I was assigned there, handled Asian organized crime cases, the county's bombing and explosive cases, the county's hate crime cases and the Hardcore Gang Unit. I have convicted defendants in the Pomona, Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, Torrance, Van Nuys and Norwalk Superior Courts.

I, also, supervised other attorneys as the deputy-in-charge of the the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Bellflower Area Office and as the Assistant Head Deputy of the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Pomona Branch Office. I currently work at the Long Beach Superior Court.

On a personal note, my grandparents immigrated here from Mexico at the turn of the last century. My parents came to California during the depression and settled in East Los Angeles. My father was a steel worker and union shop steward at Bethlehem Steel for 35 years and I am a native daughter of Los Angeles County who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley.

I have been married for 25 years to a retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War who was decorated with the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medals. We have four children.

I have been blessed with seven brothers and three sisters. Two of my brothers are retired Los Angeles Police Officers. One is an retired California Highway Patrol Officer and two others are retired United States Post Office Employees. My other two brothers are developmentally disabled. One of my sisters works for the City of Los Angeles and the other two work in the home.

I share all of this with you because a good judge is a person who has an even temperament, patience, the ability to really listen to others. In my case, I am a Hispanic woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a friend, an attorney and lastly, a prosecutor, and I have been a member of the Los Angeles Community all my life. Coming from a large family has taught me to be a very good listener and having two brothers that are developmentally disabled has taught me great patience. I believe that my background coupled with my legal training and experience have helped me to become a person who can serve this community as a judge.