Donna Tryfman, a deputy public defender in the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Major Cases Unit, is running for Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Office 131. The nonpartisan seat is on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot. David Ross is also running.

Asked in our candidate questionnaire why she is seeking the bench, Tryfman said, "I believe public service is about showing up, listening carefully, and making sure that the people who depend on our public institutions are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect." She added, "I'm ready to serve."

Candidate information

Party affiliation: "Registered Democrat," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. The race is nonpartisan.

Education: "Brandeis University: BA in English & American Literature, Minor in Legal Studies" and "University of La Verne School of Law: JD," Tryfman said in our questionnaire.

Family: "I am the daughter of immigrants and the child of Holocaust survivors," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "My parents came to America carrying the experience of what happens when people lose the protection of law and institutions." She described herself as "a widow and single mother."

Experience and public service

Tryfman said in our questionnaire that she has been "a trial lawyer" for "more than 30 years" and joined "the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office in 1998 to pursue indigent trial advocacy." She said she has "tried more than 100 jury trials" and "currently handle[s] homicide and capital litigation."

She served as deputy in charge at Eastlake Juvenile Court from 2016 to 2019, supervising approximately 25 attorneys, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise.

Tryfman served on the Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commission from 2019 to 2024 and chaired it in 2022, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. She also ran for the Beverly Hills Unified School District board in 2020, according to the LA Daily News.

She said in our questionnaire that she served as "President of the Public Defenders Association." She also served as president of the Jewish Public Defenders Association, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Both the LA Daily News and Metropolitan News-Enterprise editorial boards endorsed Tryfman.

On the issues

Judicial approach: Asked what her trial experience taught her about serving as a judge, Tryfman said in our questionnaire, "A judge must ensure both sides are heard, rules are applied fairly, and decisions are based on law and facts—not personalities, politics, public pressure, or emotion." She added, "My motto is simple: be prepared, prompt, and polite."

Court access: Asked how judges can make proceedings more accessible, Tryfman said, "It starts simply: speak to people in language they understand. If someone leaves court not understanding the judge's order or what they must do next, we have not done our job well." She said judges should provide "interpreters, disability accommodations, understandable materials, and alternatives for people without internet."

Court backlog: Asked about the biggest challenge facing the court, Tryfman said, "The greatest challenge facing our courts is the backlog. Justice delayed is not an abstract problem—it is a human one." She said judges should embrace "mediation, technology, improved scheduling, and better coordination" but cautioned, "The goal is not to process cases. The goal is to deliver justice."

Tryfman's responses come from a Surround Sound News candidate questionnaire completed Oct. 2, 2026.