# Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 64 — Los Angeles County

Compare records and positions simply between Rhonda A. Haymon and 1 more for Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 64 — 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-64
- 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

- **Rhonda A. Haymon**
- **Maria Ghobadi**

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

Headed to a November 3 runoff: prosecutor Maria Ghobadi (44.1%) vs. public defender Rhonda Haymon (42.2%) — a close race and a classic courtroom-perspective choice.

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.

Voters usually see only a three-word job title, so two independent signals matter most: the LA County Bar Association's peer ratings (Exceptionally Well Qualified → Not Qualified), and endorsements from organizations whose judgment you trust. A prosecutor-vs-defender matchup like this one is also a values question: which professional lens do you want on the bench?

## Maria Ghobadi

Deputy District Attorney with about 11 years and 85+ jury trials, including 21 homicide cases. The county bar rated Ghobadi Well Qualified — the higher rating in this race. They're backed by the legal press and the county Democratic Party.

**Strengths:** Heavy trial experience and the race's stronger peer rating.

**Trade-offs:** Ghobadi's support spans Democratic clubs and some conservative groups — broad, but it makes Ghobadi harder to place ideologically.

**Keep in mind:** Nothing adverse surfaced in coverage.

## Rhonda A. Haymon

Deputy Public Defender with more than 25 years. The county bar rated Haymon Qualified. They're the progressive slate's pick, backed by Knock LA and La Defensa.

**Strengths:** A career defending indigent clients — a perspective underrepresented on the bench.

**Trade-offs:** The lower bar rating of the two finalists.

**Keep in mind:** Trade-press coverage flagged temperament critiques from colleagues; treat that as attributed commentary rather than a formal finding.

## 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. 64 — 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. 64 — Los Angeles County — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/judge-office-64 (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.