Sentinel endorsement: Symons for judge - Santa Cruz Sentinel

Santa Cruz County has not had an open election for a judge's seat since 1986. This year, voters get a clear choice to decide on who will be our county's newest sitting Superior Court judge - a county prosecutor ...

[the cow says - MOOOOO]

While I appreciate that the Sentinel is trying to fit in by taking a stand and endorsing someone, isn't the media supposed to be impartial and give both candidates the same coverage?

How are we supposed to trust anything the Sentinel has to say when we know that it is endorsing one candidate over another and will likely have some biased reporting?

Leave the endorsements to the organizations, labor unions and others who regularly participate in this process. A newspaper has NO PLACE making endorsements for one candidate and not the other.

p.s. who the heck wrote this article anyhow? where is the responsible journalism?

[Gail Levey]

The media have the responsibility to investigate and report. The Sentinel has a BOD who put both candidates through a lengthy personal interview and certainly have the resources at hand to investigate both people. This is fulfilling their responsibilities to the community.

I find it somewhat amusing that people cry 'foul' when their candidate isn't found worthy of public support. Newspapers participate in the process every day - the Sentinel has made a wise decision in their endorsement of Ari Symons for judge.

[Judge Symons]

Newspapers in most cities in the United States select and endorse a candidate. I think they are wise to select Ari Symons as their candidate. She is exactly what is needed at this time in this city.

[jeff]

It is about time for the people of Santa Cruz County to elect a judge. All of the setting judges have been appointed. Like it or not politics and who you know in government has influenced the appointment of the setting judges in Santa Cruz County. The election of a judge isa over due. I really believe that if Ari Symons is elected she will have the mandate of the people to do her job and make the right decisions. Symons will not be influenced by the good old boys in the black robes. Criminals need to be held accountable for their actions not put in a new program to avoid accountability. This county is experiencing a huge up swing in gang violence and it must be dealt with to the full extent of the law. Hopefully someone out there will run against Judge Almquist and return him to being a do gooder attorney, because he is not cutting it as a judge! How Almquist could put Mateo Marquis back on the street is scary. I hope your kids are not knifed and killed by Mateo. Mateo will be a repeat offender, no thanks to Almquist!

[Keep Santa Cruz Safe]

Symons is absolutely the way to go. Two of the three current felony judges are not former prosecutors, and give lots of breaks to violent people who don't deserve them. Symons would restore balance to the bench, and she knows the difference between someone who deserves a second chance and someone who is a danger to the community and needs to be GONE!

[Donna Traster Albert]

I'd like to weigh in on Ari Symons' campaign for judge. My family first became acquainted with Ms. Symons in March 1997 after the death of my brother, Edward Traster. Ms. Symons successfully prosecuted the woman responsible for his death (who had multiple prior DUI convictions). Between his death in March and the commencement of the trial in August, Ms. Symons showed compassion toward our family in many ways including keeping us informed of pre-trial proceedings. During the two-week trial, she always made time to take us aside and answer any procedural questions that we had. Any time a loved one is the victim of a crime — especially a violent crime — the process of bringing the responsible individual to trial only prolongs the closure process for the family members. In our case, Ms. Symons helped us to understand that she would do her best to ensure that a repeat DUI offender would be off the streets for a very long time. Her successful prosecution resulted in a conviction, which in turn provided for the safety of the community at large by keeping this repeat offender confined to a prison cell to this day. The trial process afforded us the opportunity to observe how Ms. Symons gained the respect of the jury, law enforcement personnel and the witnesses called to testify. From our personal experience, and as I have continued to follow Ms. Symons' cases over the 11 years since my brother's death, I believe Santa Cruz County and its citizens would benefit greatly by having her preside as judge in one of its courtrooms. To this day, our family feels we owe her a debt of gratitude. Although we can't vote for her on June 3, we will be anticipating an optimistic outcome for her campaign.
Donna Traster Albert, San Jose — for the family of Edward Lee Traster