It’s a lamentable fact of political life that winning an election for superior court judge in California often depends on what job description the candidate chooses to put on the ballot.

The “ballot designation” goes right under the candidate’s name, allowing each contender three little words to squeeze in as much attention-grabbing and persuasive information as the law may permit. So in many cases a deputy district attorney can call himself or herself a “violent crimes prosecutor,” or perhaps a “gang crime prosecutor” in hopes that voters will be impressed by such tough-on-crime credentials.

Link to full editorial in support of SB 235 (Allen) by Los Angeles Times