SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the appointment of Rosendo Peña as associate justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Peña, 57, of Fresno, has served as a judge for the Fresno Superior Court since 2002. He served as a senior research attorney for the Fifth District Court of Appeal from 1994 to 2002 and from 1983 to 1990. Peña was an associate at the Law Offices of Hernandez and Ramirez from 1992 to 1994 and a deputy attorney general at the Criminal Division of the California Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992. He served as a deputy state public defender at the State Public Defender’s Office from 1981 to 1983. Peña earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Fresno.
Peña fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Betty L. Dawson. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice Brad Hill. Peña will be the first Latino justice in the history of the Fifth District Court of Appeal, if confirmed. Peña is a Democrat.
The compensation for this position is $204,599.