Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2008 12:00 am
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge
Four-year term
Name: Kevin Ready, age 55
Political party: Democrat
Years as attorney: 32, 18 with Santa Barbara
County counsel?s office
Elected office: none
Work: senior deputy county counsel in Santa Barbara County, chief executive officer-executive director of Beach Erosion Authority, Deputy County Counsel in Imperial County, managing partner of private law firm in Denver, Colo., law school instructor, command judge advocate, U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer
Family: married, four children
Website: www.readyforjudge.com
By Samantha Yale/Staff Writer
Experience.
The single word sums up the campaign of Kevin Ready, running for the Superior Court judgeship left vacant when Diana Hall was removed from the bench in December 2006.
BMy experience is very close on par with Jed Beebe,C said Ready, speaking of one of his two competitors. However, Bthe things I?ve been doing have been a lot broader range of experience than his,C Ready said.
Ready, currently a senior attorney for Santa Barbara County, has spent 32 years as an attorney.
Beebe is a Superior Court research attorney and John MacKinnon, the other candidate, is a senior prosecutor with the county.
The 55-year-old Ready lives in Ballard with his wife, Olga, and their two young children. He also has two grown sons who are in the military and have served in Iraq.
In his 18 years of service with county counsel, Ready said he has drafted numerous county ordinances and regulations and handled financial and tax litigation in federal and state courts.
Ready, who was an officer in both the U.S. Army and Navy, was a candidate for Congress in Iowa in 1984 and in California in 1994. In both years, Ready won the primary election but lost the general election.
He has been a law school instructor and a managing partner for a law firm in Denver.
Ready was the chief executive officer and the executive director of the Beach Erosion Authority in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, a public agency tasked with addressing beach erosion, shoreline protection and ocean water quality.
Ready has said that when choosing a judge, experience, reputation and character are imperative.
Ready said his breadth and depth of experience set him apart from the other candidates.
He said better security is needed in the courtrooms, and that the drug courts need to be expanded.
In Lompoc, Ready said, the drug courts are overwhelmed.
Ready said he believes he has the broadest selection of endorsements. Among those who have thrown their support to him are: Santa Barbara County supervisors Salud Carbajal, Brooks Firestone and Joe Centeno; and numerous mayors and city council members from the North County and Santa Barbara.
Ready ran for Superior Court judge before. He challenged incumbent Judge Art Garcia in 2006.
He said this race was Btremendously differentC than the 2006 race.
BRunning against an incumbent is an entire uphill battle,C Ready said.
He said a judge makes critical, life-changing decisions.
BThe race evolves down to experience. That?s what people are voting on,C Ready said.
If someone is choosing a stranger for the important judge role, he said, they need to make sure that candidate has the most life experience and wisdom.
BAnd that?s the difference. I have those qualities.C
Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santamaria