Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who is the 40th governor of California, serving since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019 and as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.
CA to see 2nd trans judge on state bench
With the appointment March 25 of Andi Mudryk to the Sacramento County Superior Court, California will now have two transgender judges serving on the state bench.
Mudryk is the first trans person to be appointed to a judicial vacancy in the Golden State.Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski in 2010 became the country's first elected transgender trial court judge.
The wife of Bay Area Reporter news editor Cynthia Laird, Kolakowski will automatically be elected to another six-year term this year as no one filed to challenge her on the June primary ballot for her seat #16 on the East Bay bench.Governor Gavin Newsom appointed fellow Democrat Mudryk, 58, of Sacramento, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Benjamin G.
Davidian. Since 2020, Mudryk has served as chief deputy director at the California Department of Rehabilitation.Kolakowski told the Bay Area Reporter that she's "ecstatic" the governor appointed Mudryk."We finally have a state court judge that was appointed by a governor, which is long overdue, as I was elected over a decade ago," Kolakowski stated. "I am glad that I'm finally getting a transgender colleague on the bench here in California."Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights organization, also praised the appointment."We are thrilled to be celebrating another historic milestone today for California's LGBTQ+ community in Governor Newsom's historic appointment of Andi Mudryk to the Sacramento County Superior Court," stated Executive Director Tony Hoang. "A seasoned civil rights advocate, Mudryk brings almost 20 years of experience in disability rights and rehabilitation to the court.
