Two local attorneys named San Luis Obispo Superior Court judges
Gov. Jerry Brown appointed two local attorneys to San Luis Obispo Superior Court judgeships Thursday, filling nearly all vacancies in local courtrooms.
Hernaldo Baltodano, who’s been a partner at San Luis Obispo-based employment law firm Baltodano and Baltodano LLP since 2011, and Jesse Marino, a prosecutor for 13 years with the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office, will fill the positions.
Baltodano, 41, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He served as associate and senior associate at several Los Angeles law firms from 2003 to 2011.
He fills the vacancy created by the September 2016 retirement of Judge Michael Duffy, who continues to assist the court as part of its retired judges program.
Marino, 46, began his career in 1997 as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.
He served as a prosecutor at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office from 1999 to 2002 before moving to the San Luis Obispo-based civil law firm Ogden and Fricks LLP as an associate in 2003 and joining the SLO County District Attorney’s Office in 2004. In addition to his prosecutorial work, Marino also served as president of the deputy prosecutors’ union, board member of San Luis Obispo County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and president of the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association.
Marino fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jac Crawford in March 2016.
Both Baltondano and Marino are registered Democrats.
San Luis Obispo Superior Court has been short staffed due to the retirements of several long-serving judges within the past two years. With Marino and Baltodano seated, the court will have just one bench vacancy left.
Salaries for each position is $200,042, according to the Governor’s Office.
This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Two local attorneys named San Luis Obispo Superior Court judges."