You read it here first that Sup. Gerardo Sandoval has decided to run for judge in June, and now we can report that he has picked a target: Judge Thomas A. Mellon Jr. This seems like a fine choice given that Sandoval has made his run about challenging a “bench that does not reflect San Francisco in any meaningful way.” Mellon was appointed to the slot by former Gov. Pete Wilson in 1994 after serving 18 years as a business litigator, and has received generally poor ratings from the attorneys he’s dealt with, particularly those in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office who have openly feuded with Mellon. “I don’t have anything personal against Judge Mellon, but many of my supporters felt strongly about him and that was a very important consideration,” Sandoval told us.
Keep reading the Guardian for more reporting soon on Judge Mellon (hopefully including his perspective on the race and responses to past criticism of him), this rare contested judge’s race, and other issues related to the role of the courts in San Francisco.