Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:00 am
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge
Four-year term
Name: John MacKinnon
Age: 37
Political party: Republican
Years as attorney: 12, eight with Santa Barbara County District Attorney?s office
Elected office: none
Work: senior deputy district attorney with Santa Barbara County, deputy district attorney in Fresno County,
volunteer attorney with San Luis Obispo County District Attorney?s office
Family: married, two children
Web site: www.mackinnon4judge.com
By Samantha Yale/Staff Writer
John MacKinnon spends many of his days in the courtroom working as a prosecutor, providing him a direct involvement with the courtroom that he says sets him apart from his competitors.
MacKinnon, 37, of Orcutt, is vying for the Superior Court judge seat left vacant in the North County by the December 2006 removal of Judge Diana Hall from the bench.
He is a senior deputy district attorney in the North County.
MacKinnon is running against Kevin Ready, a senior attorney with the county counsel?s office, and Jed Beebe, a research attorney for the local Superior Court.
Both Ready and Beebe have spent more than 30 years as attorneys, while MacKinnon has been an attorney for 12 years, but MacKinnon said his work has made up for the discrepancy in years of practicing law.
BI don?t see it as the number of years of experience, as much as the quality of experience,C he said.
MacKinnon was a deputy district attorney in Fresno County for four years before he came to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney?s Office in 2000. He also briefly volunteered as an attorney with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney?s Office at the beginning of his career.
The attorney said he has handled 53 jury trials, including four civil jury trials. He has worked in the county?s drug court for the last year and a half, and has handled domestic violence cases, sexually violent predator cases and workers compensation fraud cases, and has worked with the mentally ill.
MacKinnon said he has also handled gang cases and has had gang enforcement training.
His courtroom experience and jury trial experience set him apart from his opponents, he said.
Among MacKinnon?s endorsements are Santa Maria Police Chief Danny Macagni, District Attorney Christie Stanley and Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rogelio Flores.
MacKinnon is the president of the Northern Santa Barbara County Bar Association and is on the board of directors for the local Boys and Girls Club.
The prosecutor and his wife, Michelle, have two young children.
MacKinnon said patience is among the traits that are important for judges to have, and said he has long practice in remaining calm and allowing for the defense attorney?s point of view to be heard in court.
Lompoc has no drug court, MacKinnon said, and Superior Court in Lompoc relies on one judge to handle both a regular criminal calendar and Proposition 36 drug and alcohol cases.
BI think that?s something that should change,C he said.
MacKinnon said that the goal is for people who are trying to self-medicate by abusing drugs to change their thinking and turn to counseling instead.
He said there?s an ever-increasing number of people who can?t afford the services of an attorney, and there?s a need to continue to try to make the court system accessible to the public.
MacKinnon suggested family law mediators, longer office hours for the self-help center, and attorneys available for assistance on a volunteer basis.
A judge should care about those he or she encounters, he said.
BYou?ve got to have someone on the bench who cares about these people.C
Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santa