# Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 131 — Los Angeles County Compare records and positions simply between David Ross or Donna Tryfman for Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 131 — Los Angeles County at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds a countywide seat on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. This is the state trial court. The term is six years. - Jurisdiction: Los Angeles County - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/judge-office-131 - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 21, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 85 out of 100 (Strong), across 7 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **David Ross** - **Donna Tryfman** A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Headed to a November 3 runoff: Deputy Public Defender Donna Tryfman (37.3%) vs. Deputy Alternate Public Defender David Ross (33.2%). Both finalists are career defense lawyers; all four June candidates were rated Qualified. The winner serves a six-year term on the county's trial bench, assigned anywhere from criminal and civil to family and probate court. Trial judges rule alone — their decisions are checked mainly on appeal — so the person matters more than in almost any other down-ballot office. Both finalists are career defense lawyers, so the usual prosecutor-versus-defender axis does not apply here — the choice is between two people who have spent their careers on the same side of the courtroom. What differs is length of service and the presence of one uncorroborated allegation against the more experienced candidate. Weigh depth of experience against how much weight you give a claim no outlet has been able to confirm. ## Donna Tryfman Deputy Public Defender of about 29 years in the Major Cases Unit. The establishment legal press called her the best choice among the four. Her experience is the deepest in the race. **Strengths:** Nearly three decades on the system's hardest defense cases. **Trade-offs:** None documented from official sources. **Keep in mind:** A progressive guide aired secondhand allegations about past campaign and workplace conduct that no other outlet corroborated — noted only because you may encounter them. ## David Ross Deputy Alternate Public Defender since 2000, and a journalist before law. Knock LA called Ross the most qualified progressive choice. Even the outlet endorsing Ross's opponent credited Ross's judicial aptitude. **Strengths:** A quarter-century as a public defender, plus a prior career in journalism — a broader working background than most judicial candidates bring. **Trade-offs:** A career on one side of the criminal courtroom, if balance of background matters to you; and Ross's opponent has several more years on the hardest cases. **Keep in mind:** Nothing adverse surfaced in coverage of Ross — unlike Ross's opponent, no outlet we cite raises any allegation about Ross's conduct. ## Review notes - Knock LA and Metropolitan News-Enterprise may have more bias because they are advocacy or endorsement sources compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [LA County RR/CC — Certified results, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-06-26)](https://results.lavote.gov/text-results/4338) 2. [LA County RR/CC — Offices Scheduled for Election, November 3, 2026 (6/26/26)](https://content.lavote.gov/docs/rrcc/documents/offices-to-be-elected-gen-2026.pdf) 3. [LAist — LA County judicial races guide (LACBA ratings, ballot designations)](https://laist.com/news/politics/voter-guides/2026-election-california-primary-la-county-judges) 4. [LA County Bar Association — 2026 Judicial Candidate Evaluations](https://www.lacba.org/?pg=2026-report) 5. [Metropolitan News-Enterprise — 2026 judicial race profiles and endorsements](http://www.metnews.com/endorse.htm) 6. [Knock LA — June 2026 judicial voter guide](https://knock-la.com/knock-voter-guide-june-2026-judges/) 7. [LA County campaign-finance disclosure (Registrar-Recorder / NetFile)](https://campaignfinance.lacounty.gov/) ## The rest of the ballot Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 131 — Los Angeles County is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 131 — Los Angeles County — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/judge-office-131 (sources last retrieved September 21, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.