Judge of the Superior Court Office No. 141 in Los Angeles County, California

2026 Primary Election

• Samuel Krause — Attorney / Temporary Judge in Northridge, California

  Samuel W. Krause is an experienced attorney. He has served as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, since 2016. He previously worked as the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for California Schools VEBA, a $1 billion trust for public employee union members. Krause was also a former investigator at the U.S. Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration. He earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from New York University School of Law and is admitted to the State Bar of California.

• Mariela Torres — Deputy District Attorney in Norwalk, California

  Mariela Hortencia Torres is a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2006. Torres earned her law degree from Pacific Coast University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California.

• Dieter Carlos Dammeier — Administrative Law Judge, State of California in Rancho Cucamonga, California

  Dieter Carlos Dammeier is an Administrative Law Judge for the State of California. He previously worked as a police officer for the cities of Cypress and Claremont before attending law school. He graduated from Western State University College of Law in 1996 in the top 5% of his class. For over 20 years as an attorney, he specialized in employment law and employee overtime rights, arguing cases before the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. He was a founder and Managing Partner of the law firm Lackie, Dammeier McGill & Ethir. After that firm dissolved, he opened Dammeier Law in Rancho Cucamonga. He has served as a volunteer Judge Pro Tem in Los Angeles Superior Court, handling over 100 cases, and as a volunteer arbitrator for the State Bar of California. He has also been published in the Harvard Law and Policy Review.