DONNA TRYFMAN

Why Thrive LA endorses DONNA

Donna Tryfman is a veteran deputy public defender with more than 30 years of courtroom experience in Los Angeles County. She currently serves in the Major Cases Unit handling capital homicide litigation, has tried over 100 jury trials involving serious and violent felonies, and has served as a Judge Pro Tem in traffic, small claims, and unlawful detainer matters. In 2025 she received the Gideon Award as Felony Attorney of the Year. Judicial races rarely get the attention they deserve, but they shape the daily reality of public safety in Los Angeles County. The bench needs judges who understand both constitutional rights and the practical demands of protecting communities. Tryfman is the rare candidate who earns trust from both sides of the courtroom. The Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA) endorsed her, marking the first time that prosecutors' union has ever backed a public defender. Crime Survivors Action PAC and former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley also support her candidacy. That combination tells you everything: she is not an ideologue, she is a courtroom professional who takes public safety seriously. Her record backs it up. Over three decades in the LA County Public Defender's Office, Tryfman has handled the most complex and high-stakes cases the system produces. She served as President of the statewide Public Defenders Association from 2015 to 2020, demonstrating leadership well beyond her own caseload. On bail, she has articulated a balanced approach that treats public safety as a primary factor and supports custodial detention when conditions cannot assure community protection. She also brings quasi-judicial experience from five years as Commissioner and Chair of the Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Commission, where she heard housing provider-tenant disputes and built a reputation for neutral, even-handed adjudication. Her endorsement by the Southern California News Group editorial boards, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, and multiple sitting and retired Superior Court judges (including Justice Anne H. Egerton of the Second District Court of Appeal) reflects broad confidence in her temperament and qualifications. She has also spoken candidly about the fiscal strain on LA County courts from budget cuts and the $4 billion abuse settlement, advocating for efficient court management and reducing case backlogs through preparation and organization. Donna Tryfman is the experienced, balanced, public-safety-minded judge LA County's Superior Court needs.