Judge Frank Ochoa '75 Honored by Santa Barbara Bar Association
Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Frank Ochoa '75 has been honored by the Santa Barbara County Bar Association with the John T. Rickard Judicial Service Award for his contributions to the judiciary, the court system, and the community. The award drew coverage in the Santa Barbara Independent.
Ochoa was appointed to the Santa Barbara Municipal Court bench by Governor Jerry Brown in 1983 and elected to the Santa Barbara County Superior Court in 1996. He served as Presiding Judge from 1998 to 2001, managing the Superior/Municipal court unification process, and currently handles felony and misdemeanor cases in the county's Criminal Trial Department. He has been appointed to statewide posts including the California Judicial Council's Trial Court Budget Commission and the Presiding Judges' Advisory Committee, and has been very active in his community, founding the Latina/o Lawyers' Association of Santa Barbara, and serving as a board member for numerous organizations, including the UC Davis School of Law Alumni Association.