Governor Appoints Senior Ventura County Deputy DA to Judgeship

By Redaccion
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Ethel Hernandez to serve as a judge of the Ventura County Superior Court. Ms. Hernandez, a second-generation Mexican-American raised in Oxnard, has been with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor since 2012. She most recently worked as the senior prosecutor assigned to the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS). VC FOCUS seeks to aggressively prosecute those that sell, furnish, and distribute fentanyl.

“I am extremely grateful for my time in the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office as a member of the professional staff and then as a Deputy District Attorney,” Ms. Hernandez said. “The time I have spent in this office and the work over the past 12 years, I will carry with me forever.”

Ms. Hernandez earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and a Master of Law degree from Lamar University. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Bruce A. Young.

“Ethel’s journey to the bench is a story of steadfast determination and perseverance combined with sound legal experience,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “Ethel’s contribution to the judiciary will be positive and lasting. I want to thank the Governor and his staff for appointing Ethel and for selecting a member of the District Attorney’s office to fill the judicial vacancy.”

Ms. Hernandez begins her new role May 13, 2024.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger, an experienced and long-time prosecutor in the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, will be the new senior prosecutor assigned to VC FOCUS.