Prosecutor, public defender in judge runoff Prosecutor, public defender in judge runoff (October 29, 2004)

Supporters vary from attorneys to politicians

By Julie O'Shea

Local voters will choose between two attorneys -- a prosecutor and a public defender -- in next week's runoff election for a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge seat.

Griffin Bonini, a member of the District Attorney's Office, finished first among three candidates in the March primary with 45 percent of the vote. He needed 50 percent to win.

Bonini will face Enrique Colin, an attorney for the Public Defender's Office, on Tuesday. Colin received 32.44 percent of the vote in the primary.

The men are vying for a six-year term on Superior Court Seat 7, which includes Mountain View. The position was most previously held by Judge Jerald Infantino.

The winner of the runoff election will take the bench at the beginning of January.

After taking a short break following the March election, both men said they have been hitting the campaign trail hard over the past few months, appearing at public forums and even doing a little precinct walking.

Both have also racked up numerous endorsements. Bonini's mostly came from defense attorneys, judges and police officer associations. Colin's support, on the other hand, is drawn mostly from elected local and state officials, including state Assembly member Sally Lieber, state Senator Byron Sher and U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo.

"One of the things that's really telling is that I have 75 endorsements from criminal defense attorneys saying I'd be a good judge," said Bonini, 39, who faces defense attorneys in the courtroom.

Bonini, a San Jose resident and the father of four, has both criminal and civil litigation experience, having spent five years in private practice. He grew up on the Stanford campus and went to Gunn High School. He received his undergraduate degree from Claremont McKenna College and his law degree from Santa Clara University.

Colin, 43, also has extensive trial experience. He has served as a judge pro tem over the past year and said he can't wait to do it fulltime.

"If you look at our county, Santa Clara County is one of the most diverse in the nation," Colin said, adding that he feels he could well represent the community's multi-cultural demographics.

He's been a past chair for the Santa Clara County Minority Access Committee and a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association Convention Planning Committee.

In addition to his commitment to minority rights, Colin, whose first child was born in May, is committed to improving the county's juvenile justice system.

Colin, now a San Jose resident, grew up in Chicago's inner city. He received his undergraduate degree from Hayward State University and his law degree from Santa Clara University.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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