Candidate for
Judge of the Municipal Court; Los Angeles Judicial District, Office No. 44

STATEMENT OF JUDGE RICHARD E. RICO

Judge Richard E. Rico has earned your support.

Appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in October 1999 by Governor Gray Davis, Judge Rico was rated "Well-Qualified" by the State Bar Judicial Nominee Evaluations Committee because of his superior background, experience and integrity. The Los Angeles County Bar has also rated Judge Rico "Well-Qualified" for his position on the bench. Before court unification, Judge Rico was the only judge of Mexican ancestry in the Los Angeles Municipal Court, the largest municipal court in the country.

Born and raised in Los Angeles where he attended Woodrow Wilson High School (1972), Judge Rico graduated from Yale University (B.A., 1976) and Stanford Law School (J.D., 1984).

After rising to partner at Breidenbach, Buckley, Huchting, Halm & Hamblet, a well-established civil litigation firm, Judge Rico entered public service as Senior Attorney for the California Court of Appeal in 1995. Working at the Court of Appeal with Justice William Rylaarsdam provided Judge Rico with unmatched experience in all areas of the law, including criminal, civil, family and juvenile.

Judge Rico has served as Judge Pro-Tem of the Los Angeles Municipal Court since 1994.

Judge Rico has participated in the CORO Foundation, providing real-world experience for young scholars. He also coaches his son's school chess team and assists with Little League. His wife Barbara is an English Professor at Loyola Marymount University.

Judge Rico is endorsed by Governor Gray Davis, Sheriff Leroy Baca, Congressman Xavier Becerra, State Senator Richard Polanco, State Senator Teresa P. Hughes, Assemblymember Marco Firebaugh, Assemblymember Martin Gallegos, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Councilmember Nick Pachecho, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, A.L.A.D.S., L.A.P.P.L., and many other elected officials and judges.