L.A. County judge loses reelection bid in dramatic race

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Los Angeles County Judge Robert Draper, who faces misconduct allegations and health concerns, lost his bid for reelection in a rare defeat for an incumbent.Deputy Dist.

Atty.Tal Khan Valbuena defeated Draper with more than 56% of the vote in the June 2 primary election.

Draper, an 84-year-old judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, captured roughly 43% of the vote, according to the L.A.County election results.The California secretary of state still needs to certify the results.

“I am deeply humbled by the trust that voters have placed in me,” Khan Valbuena said in a statement on Saturday.“I look forward to earning the public’s trust every day through hard work, thoughtful preparation, and a steadfast commitment to equal justice for all.”Khan Valbuena, a gay Muslim and refugee from Pakistan who works in the Hollywood mental health court, added that he’s “lived the American dream” and hopes to “honor that gift” by serving on the bench.

He’s expected to start his new role in January.Draper didn’t immediately comment on the results.The race between Draper and Khan Valbuena was filled with high-stakes drama and an uphill battle for the sitting judge.

In January, the state’s Commission on Judicial Performance filed charges against Draper over misconduct allegations of sexual harassment and making improper and biased comments, among others.He was accused of stroking a female lawyer’s hair after making irrelevant remarks to a Black attorney about “Black history, Black football players, the Civil Rights Act, and the Black Lives Matter movement.” California Judicial elections are normally sleepy affairs.

But two L.A.County races have included claims about candidates being unfit for the bench, allegations of threats and questions about the lengths sitting judges will go to protect their own.Draper contested the claims and denied all wrongdoing a...