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

David Ross is also running for the seat.

Asked why she is running, Tryfman said in our candidate questionnaire that she believes "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 said, "I am running to be Everyone's Judge … one who will rule without fear or favor."

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. They taught me never to take democracy, constitutional rights, or the rule of law for granted." Tryfman also said in the questionnaire, "I am also a widow and single mother."

Occupation and work history: "For more than 30 years, I have been a trial lawyer, handling increasingly complex cases and trying more than 100 trials, including serious and violent felonies," Tryfman said in our questionnaire. "I currently handle homicide and capital litigation. From 2016–2019, I served as Deputy-in-Charge at Eastlake Juvenile Court, supervising approximately 25 attorneys and staffing collaborative drug court." She said she "received the 2025 Gideon Award for Felony Attorney of the Year."

Experience and public service

Tryfman said in our questionnaire that she served as "President of the Public Defenders Association from 2015–2020" and is "Vice Chair of LACBA's California Conference of Bar Associations." She listed additional service including rent stabilization, school facilities, teen court and Los Angeles County Bar Association leadership.

According to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, Tryfman served on the Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commission from 2019 to 2024, chairing it in 2022. She also participated in the Los Angeles Superior Court Teen Court Program and served as a judge pro tem in the court's temporary judges program.

The LA Daily News and the Metropolitan News-Enterprise have endorsed Tryfman. Ricardo D. Garcia of the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender has also endorsed her, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise.

On the issues

Courtroom experience and judicial temperament: 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 said her motto is "be prepared, prompt, and polite."

Court accessibility: Asked how judges can make proceedings more understandable, Tryfman said in our questionnaire, "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 added, "The courtroom should not feel like a foreign country."

Court backlog: Asked about challenges facing the court, Tryfman said in our questionnaire, "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, "Efficiency cannot mean moving people through court faster. 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. Her opponent, David Ross, was also invited to participate.