Forty-seven-year-old Robert Retana is the only openly gay Latino candidate campaigning this year to become a judge of the San Francisco Superior Court. There are a handful of weighty names and organizations endorsing his campaign, including State Senator Leland Ye, District 9 Supervisor David Campos, and the La Raza Lawyers Association, of which Retana is a former Board member.
This Los Angeles native got his first job as a lawyer working for the Heller, Ehrman law firm in San Francisco after graduating from UC Berkley Law School in 1990. His work there included the successful defense of a Puerto Rican family in the Crocker Amazon neighborhood of San Francisco who were the victims of hate crimes committed by a neighbor. Since then Retana has worked representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation, including the noteworthy case where Retana represented Dolores Huerta and several other Bay Area artists, protecting the rights of the artists who have created Mission neighborhood landmarks such as the murals on the Women’s Building and the Cesar Chavez Elementary School. During his campaign Retana has tended to rely heavily on his ethnicity and sexual orientation as pivotal qualifications for the position. This diversity-factor may in fact hold some legitimacy considering his substantial involvement in the Bay Area’s Latino-community and his work on the first same-sex domestic abuse cases to be prosecuted by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. However, neither Retana nor the general media have specified why he was overlooked by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment secretary in his bid for a gubernatorial appointment to the bench the 2007. Does Retana have what it takes to be an upstanding Judge of the San Francisco Superior Court? Read his Q&A and see for yourself.
Aside from increasing the diversity of the city’s court officials, why should the people of San Francisco elect you?
I am the best qualified candidate. I have both civil and criminal experience and can “hit the ground running” whether I am assigned to the criminal court (Hall of Justice) or the civil courthouse. The other candidates have either civil or criminal experience, but I am the only candidate that has both. I also am the only candidate in my race with experience as a judge pro tem.
What have you gained or learned in your experience working as a Judge Pro Tem?
I have learned that I enjoy deciding cases. It is a real change from being an advocate and I really enjoy the role of judge. I think that many people of color who come to court are pleasantly surprised to see a Latino on the bench.
When were you President of the Board of Directors for La Raza Centro Legal?
I was Board President from 1994 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2002. I am currently a member of its Advisory Board. I have been involved with La Raza Centro Legal since I graduated from law school in 1990. It is such a great organization; it provides legal services to immigrants and many other people who could not otherwise afford an attorney, as well as organizing people to advocate for themselves. Because I grew up in East Los Angeles, I know how important it is for people to have access to legal services and I wanted to work to help make those services available.
Why did you decide to become a lawyer?
I did not know any lawyers growing up in East Los Angeles, but I was active in Student Government in High School and liked the idea of a career as an attorney. I like being an advocate and I think it is important for Latinos to be able to have their own voices on issues. It is great to have the support of allies, but we also need to be able to speak for ourselves whether in the courtroom, in politics, the media, or in the community. We have a wealth of talent in our community and we need to step up and take our place at the table and not rely on others to advocate for us.
What kind of criminal law did you specialize in?
I was an Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco for four years. I handled thousands of cases, from misdemeanors to serious felonies, including assaults, theft, attempted murder and domestic violence cases. I was an Assistant Supervisor of the Misdemeanor Trial Division and a member of the Felony Domestic Violence Unit.
What made you want to transition from lawyer to judge?
People have told me throughout my career that I have a good demeanor for a judge; that I have a way of making people feel that they have been heard and were treated fairly and with respect. I also want to provide an example for young people of color and LGBT youth and show them that the sky is the limit regardless of race or orientation. It is important to set high goals, and young people should have people they can point to that overcame obstacles to achieve their goals. There are so many negative images that they are bombarded with in the media, and we need to provide alternative images. I hope that by being a judge, I can encourage others to work hard to achieve their own dreams.
Do you have any other comments you’d like to add?
There is a lack of Latino judges in San Francisco. Unfortunately, our community has not received the appointments that other communities have received and we need to change that. We can’t rely on the Governor to do the right thing, so we need to elect people from our community to the bench. I strongly encourage readers of El Tecolote to vote on June 8th because politicians only understand one thing – the power of the ballot box. I would be honored to have their support and ask them to vote for me on June 8th for San Francisco Superior Court, Seat No. 6. Thank you.