Three UC Law SF Alumni Appointed to Key Judicial Posts in California
UC Law SF alumni Kevin T. Wong ’01, Sally Espinoza ’04, and Joseph M. Cress ’94 bring decades of legal experience to their new roles as Superior Court judges in Alameda, Los Angeles, and Sacramento counties.
Governor Gavin Newsom has tapped three accomplished UC Law San Francisco alumni to fill judicial vacancies in California. That brings the total number of UC Law SF alumni to join the state judiciary this year to nine. They are among more than 500 living alumni who have served on state and federal benches across the country, shaping justice nationwide.
Kevin T. Wong ’01, a prosecutor with decades of experience, has been appointed to the Alameda County Superior Court. Wong’s legal career spans more than 20 years, including a long tenure as deputy district attorney in Alameda County, followed by his recent role as assistant district attorney in San Francisco. He takes a position left vacant by retiring Judge Dennis Hayashi.
Sally Espinoza ’04 brings an impressive background to her new role as judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Her career has traversed various high-level roles, including as deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice. She also served as a deputy public defender in Los Angeles County and as deputy legal affairs secretary for two California governors: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Edmund “Jerry” Brown. She succeeds retiring Judge Tomson T. Ong.
Joseph M. Cress ’94 will join the bench of the Sacramento County Superior Court. Since 1995, he has held various roles working for the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office, most recently as chief assistant public defender. He fills a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge James M. Mize.
Newsom also appointed former UC Law SF Adjunct Professor Chad A. Stegeman to serve as a judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Stegeman, whose career includes work in private practice and at the California Department of Justice, taught Advanced Legal Writing for Practice at UC Law SF from 2019 to 2023. He fills a seat left vacant by Judge Tara M. Desautels’ elevation to the First District Court of Appeal.