The campaign race is heating up. Five hopefuls are vying for the Superior Court Judge seat in Fresno County. Thursday, they pleaded their cases to the Fresno County District Attorney's Association.
There's one seat and a handful of hopefuls. Five candidates are hoping to become Fresno County's next Superior Court Judge.
Rachel Hill kicked off Thursday's judicial forum. She's a former prosecutor, who's also done some defense work. She has knowledge in both criminal and civil cases, and says it's well rounded experience that Fresno County needs.
Candidate Rachel Hill says, "When people come to the court it's usually a pretty critical moment in their lives. You need to have that background to be able to make those hard calls."
Jarrett Cline is also a candidate. He's a former police officer and current deputy district attorney. His platform involves innovative ideas; things like neighborhood courts to help fight truancy, using a model other counties already have in place.
Candidate Jarrett Cline says, "They go out into the neighborhood so they can actually take justice to the people, which is one of the things that I want to do. We need to hold people accountable."
Long-time Fresno county prosecutor Lisa Gamoian is also in the race. She's the only candidate who was born and raised in Fresno County. She says her knowledge of agriculture and tough, yet decisive attitude will set her apart.
Candidate Lisa Gamoian, "I've committed the last 25 years of my life to public safety. I have prosecuted the most violent criminal offenders in our county during the course of my career."
Charles Magill, Fresno defense attorney, says he's the man for the job. He says he'll be a fair referee; one that will find ways to fix court and jail congestion.
Candidate Charles Magill says, "I think that we've got to come up with new ideas for the court to take with non violent felons. Just to say I'm giving you 30 days or 180 days and know that there is no space for them is not the response that a judge should have."
Last but not least, there's Steven Smith, an administrative law judge. He's the only candidate with experience on the bench, and says his motto is being 'fair but firm.'
Candidate Steven Smith says, "I've learned as a judge the most important lesson is don't judge a book by it's cover. Treat people the way you want to be treated."