(Subscription required) California's judicial watchdog agency had a busy 2025, according to its annual report released Friday. The latest data also carried an ominous message for judges facing discipline: A well-timed retirement will no longer get them off the hook. 

Div. Five of the First District Court of Appeal has held that a trial judge erred in finding that a civilian group charged with overseeing the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department lacked authority to subpoena certain records from employees of the agency, rejecting an assertion that the power to require production of the requested documents may be withheld at the whim of the locality that creates the entity.

Div. Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has rejected the assertion by a now-disbarred attorney that a trial judge erred in failing to consider his ability to pay as a factor in mitigation before imposing a statutory penalty for the bad faith taking of property from a trust. 

(Subscription required) Judge Kimberly A. Repecka, a former public defender elected to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2024, presides over a high-volume domestic violence restraining order calendar in Pasadena, where many litigants appear without counsel. She emphasizes preparation, clear procedures and managing a demanding caseload.