https://www.capaja-pac.org/our-articles daily 0.75 2021-02-22 https://www.capaja-pac.org/our-articles/genesis-of-capajapac monthly 0.5 2021-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1613965248154-PGIWHJSN4YG19S21OJNZ/patrick-fore-H5Lf0nGyetk-unsplash.jpg Our Articles - The Genesis of CAPAJA-PAC https://www.capaja-pac.org/our-articles/pac-on-the-move monthly 0.5 2021-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1613965748974-83GPJPBWO8I0QTRK962B/bill-oxford-OXGhu60NwxU-unsplash.jpg Our Articles - PAC On The Move https://www.capaja-pac.org/about-us daily 1.0 2026-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/14060040-c4ef-49fa-8c53-d50bd502e03b/Jesse+hsieh.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/8bd48c8a-c136-4017-8e1f-5588037d13b5/headshot-Ami_Sagel.webp https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1615132278389-N12ZWSV0SO7FFUR3GXXV/kickoff%2BPAC.jpg About Us - Who We Are California Asian Pacific American Judges Association-PAC (CAPAJA-PAC) is a statewide, nonpartisan, Political Action Committee dedicated to promoting diversity in California’s courts. Although Asians and Pacific Islanders are the nation’s fastest-growing racial group, we remain underrepresented in the judiciary. CAPAJA-PAC seeks to empower our communities by increasing our representation on the bench. Specifically, CAPAJA-PAC is committed to assisting Asian and Pacific judges who have proven records of judicial excellence and integrity in succeeding against election challenges. In addition to financial resources, CAPAJA-PAC will provide advice and referrals to challenged judges from other judges who have gone through judicial elections. (Featured Image: PABA representing at CAPAJA-PAC inaugural event held at Newport Beach with LA Superior Court Judges Hon. Teresa Magno and Hon. Julian Recana). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1615132467381-4COEORZVB75AWEVHNA42/IMG_9097.JPG About Us - Action “As an Asian American Democratic judge in a city with over a third Asian Americans and over 90 percent Democrats, I never dreamed that I would face an electoral challenge in 2018. Having the support of Asian American judges really boosted my spirits and set me on the path to victory. Please support CAPAJA’s path generously. -- Hon. Andrew Cheng, San Francisco Superior Court (2nd from right) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1613966866126-B183DZ8C9JZ01YBWFVAG/capaja+pac+sq+logo.jpg About Us - Contribute To Our Cause. CAPAJA PAC is a registered 501(c)(4) and welcomes donations to our fund. Please DONATE to the Political Action Committee to build our ability to help fellow judges facing election challenges. FPPC ID# 1402811. The donations will be used principally to defend highly qualified Asian American/Pacific Islander jurists who are being challenged in part on the basis of their race, gender, ethnicity, or perceived foreign-ness. https://www.capaja-pac.org/board-of-directors daily 0.75 2026-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1613949941557-HAK53TIMLZV7O5I7FU9N/Hwang.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Victor Hwang, San Francisco County Current CAPAJA-PAC Chair Judge Victor Hwang is one of the founding board members of CAPAJA-PAC. In 2016, Judge Hwang was elected to the San Francisco Superior Court, and assumed office the following year. Prior to becoming a judge, Victor worked as a public defender in Los Angeles, as a civil rights attorney for the Asian Law Caucus, as deputy director of API Legal Outreach, and as a district attorney in San Francisco focusing on hate crimes and human trafficking cases. Victor is currently assigned to Civil Trials, and previously presided in the Family Law Division, Traffic, Preliminary Hearings, and Criminal Trials. Judge Hwang received his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Southern California. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1613964700239-E4997BH6Y3AWB4EO358P/Judge+Magno.jpeg Board of Directors - Hon. Teresa Magno, Los Angeles County Judge Teresa P. Magno is a former president of CAPAJA, and is one of the founding board members of CAPAJA-PAC. In 2014, Judge Magno was elected to the Los Angeles Superior Court, and became not only the first Filipina American to be elected to the bench but also the first Filipina American to successfully run in a Los Angeles county wide race. Prior to being elected, she served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney for 15 years. As a deputy district attorney, she served in several elite units including the Hardcore Gang Division, where she prosecuted exclusively gang homicide cases. She has a criminal law assignment and is assigned to the Compton Courthouse. Judge Magno received her bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees from UCLA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/e2ce55b9-8a2e-44cf-a574-454a33144303/sun+linda+photo.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Linda Sun, Los Angeles County (Secretary) Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1613950216473-T6JQ8KC7SR1JXHLYUPWY/Judge+Lance-Ito.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Lance Ito, Los Angeles County (ret.) Lance Ito was born in Los Angeles, California to James and Toshiko Ito who met while unlawfully incarcerated at the concentration camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Ito took his education with the Los Angeles Unified School District, earned his BA at UCLA and his JD at UC Berkeley. Ito’s legal experience as a lawyer includes civil litigation, gang homicide and serial murder prosecutions, and as a judge presiding over traffic, master calendar and complex long cause criminal matters. Ito was instrumental in the transition of spoken language interpreter services to a statewide system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1614300010692-ARY98ZPVM62F5U43UH9G/Judge%2BNakamura.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Kirk Nakamura, Orange County The Honorable Kirk H. Nakamura is a founding board member of CAPAJA-PAC. A well respected jurist, Judge Nakamura was appointed to the Orange County Superior Court in 2001 by Governor Gray Davis. He recently completed his term as the Court's Presiding Judge. Prior to his appointment, Judge Nakamura served as a partner at Beam, DiCaro and its successor firms. Judge Nakamura has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of complex civil litigation. He handled complex multiple party construction cases, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. Judge Nakamura earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California at Irvine and his Juris Doctor at Duke University School of Law. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/1614299836950-ZXPOHJYH87BMP19BYZZU/Hayashi.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Dennis Hayashi, Alameda County Hon. Dennis Hayashi was elected in November 2008 to serve as Judge of the Superior Court for Alameda County. Dennis has served as a member and Presiding Judge of the Alameda County Superior Court Appellate Panel from 2013-2016, and as a member of the Court’s Executive Committee. Dennis has also served on several California Judicial Council committees, including the Access and Fairness Advisory Committee, the Joint Working Group for California’s Language Access Plan, the California Judicial Council Language Access Plan Implementation Task Force, and the Bench Bar Coalition. In 2011 and 2016, Dennis served on the working group convening summits on Diversity in the Judiciary, held in conjunction with the California Judges Association. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/8a9f0d8b-0988-4668-8369-fa84b745e20d/Ann+Park+photo+jpg.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Ann Park, Los Angeles County Judge Ann H. Park was elected to the Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2014 and took the bench in January 2015, making history as the first Korean American to win a county-wide election in Los Angeles. Prior to joining the bench, she served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney for 20 years, specializing in appellate work, habeas corpus, and victim advocacy, particularly in cases involving sexual assault and domestic violence. She founded and served as President of the Korean Prosecutors Association. She currently presides over civil trials at the Norwalk Courthouse. Judge Park is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and U.C.S.FS. - Hastings College of the Law, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6032d9b767a0aa2fe9c9f134/b4fbe602-3903-48be-bebd-b38d13e743a8/Llamas_Pelayo-e1551202329702.jpg Board of Directors - Hon. Pelayo A. Llamas, Jr., Alameda County Judge Llamas is the first Filipino-American judicial officer to serve in Alameda County. He won the 2022 Judicial Primary Election, then received an interim appointment from Governor Newsom in August 2022. He is currently assigned to criminal jury trials and is the past Supervising Judge for traffic and infraction courtrooms. Judge Llamas served as a Court Commissioner since 1999, and as a Deputy City Attorney for Oakland for 19 years, preceded by years of civil litigation practice. He is a past president of the Earl Warren American Inn of Court, an advisory Board member of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, and was president-elect of the Alameda County Bar Association. Judge Llamas received his J.D. from Santa Clara University, and his A.B. from the University of California, Berkeley.