Newsom names 3 judges to superior courts

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday named three new judges to Superior Courts in Monterey, Sacramento and Stanislaus counties.

Brian Jones has been appointed to the Monterey County Superior Court. He has served as a deputy district attorney in the Monterey County District Attorney's Office since 2013 and has also worked as an instructor at the South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium. The group operates under a joint powers agreement with seven community colleges and certifies training in law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical training and dispatch.

Jones earned his law degree from Monterey College of Law. His appointment fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Marla O. Anderson in May 2024. Among his major recent cases, in 2020 he obtained a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and special allegations of firearm use on behalf of the Surenos gang, ensuring a prison term for the shooting of two people. One was killed.

Jose Olivera has been appointed to the Sacramento County Superior Court. He has served as director and associate general counsel at Meta Platforms Inc. since 2019. From 2014 to 2019, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of California, and from 2011 to 2014, he served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice. Olivera earned his law degree from UC Davis School of Law. His appointment fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Andre K. Campbell in August 2024.

In an interview with Hispanic Executive in February, Olivera talked about a Drug Enforcement Agency raid on his home when he was 13. His father was sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking and deported to Mexico. His older brother was sentenced to seven years. The remaining family had hard times, said Olivera, who joined the U.S. Air Force at 18. "I had wanted to be a prosecutor ever since my dad and brother were prosecuted," he said.

Clifford Tong has been appointed to the Stanislaus County Superior Court. He has served as chief deputy alternate defender in Stanislaus County since 2022 and was previously the county's chief deputy public defender from 2021 to 2022. Tong also served as a deputy public defender from 2007 to 2021. He earned his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from UC Davis. His appointment fills the vacancy created by the death of Judge Nancy A. Leo on July 29, 2024.

The lapse of time between when the vacancies occurred and the new appointments is unusual for Newsom, who has been appointing judges within months, weeks, even days of a vacancy over the past two years.