SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of 14 California superior court judges, which include two in Alameda County, three in Los Angeles County, two in Orange County, two in Sacramento County, one in San Bernardino County, two in San Mateo County, one in Santa Clara County and one in Yolo County.
Alameda County Superior Court
Rebekah B. Evenson, 45, of Oakland, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Evenson has been director of litigation and advocacy for Bay Area Legal Aid since 2016. She was senior staff attorney at Prison Law Office from 2008 to 2016. She was an associate at Altshuler Berzon LLP from 2002 to 2008. She worked as a Skadden fellow for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area from 2000 to 2002. Evenson served as a law clerk for Judge Betty B. Fletcher at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 1999 to 2000. Evenson earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kimberly M. Briggs. Evenson is a Democrat.
Joscelyn Jones, 63, of Brentwood, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Alameda County Superior Court. Jones has served as a judge pro tem in the Alameda County Superior Court Probate Division since 2016 and has been president, CEO and attorney at Jones Torru Law P.C. since 1997. She was an adjunct professor at the John F. Kennedy University College of Law from 2006 to 2015. Jones was assistant chief counsel at the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation in 2000. She was a deputy state public defender from 1995 to 1996 and a sole practitioner from 1992 to 1995. Jones was interim director of the Criminal Defender Program at the New College of California School of Law from 1992 to 1994. She was a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1990 to 1991 and at the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office from 1983 to 1990. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte. Jones is a Democrat.
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Michelle E. DeCasas, 43, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. DeCasas has served as a deputy city attorney at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office since 2007. She was a civil litigation associate at Tesser & Ruttenberg from 2003 to 2007. DeCasas earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John J. Cheroske. DeCasas is a Democrat.
Lisa R. Washington, 54, of Diamond Bar, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Washington has served as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office since 1994. She was an associate at Dickson & Associates from 1993 to 1994 and at the Law Office of Leo James Terrell in 1994 and from 1992 to 1993. Washington was a legal redress coordinator for the N.A.A.C.P Legal Redress Committee in 1992. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Dan T. Oki. Washington is a Democrat.
John C. Weller, 39, of Inglewood, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He has served as a deputy district attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2007. He served as a deputy district attorney at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2007. He was a law clerk at the Law Offices of Caree Harper in 2005. Weller earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gerald S. Rosenberg. Weller is a Democrat.
Orange County Superior Court
Robert Gerard, 64, of Newport Beach, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Orange County Superior Court. Gerard has been shareholder and chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Friedman Stroffe & Gerard P.C. since 2000. He was a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP from 1997 to 2000 and was an associate there from 1994 to 1997. Gerard was a senior associate at Pettis Tester Kruse & Krinsky from 1990 to 1994. He was an associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLC from 1987 to 1990. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert C. Gannon. Gerard is registered without party preference.
Thomas J. Lo, 55, of Lake Forest, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Orange County Superior Court. Lo has served as an assistant public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office since 2001. He was an associate at Hatton, Petrie & Stackler from 1999 to 2001 and at Cooksey, Howard, Martin & Toolen in 1999. Lo served as a deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 1996 to 1999. He was an associate at LaFollette, Johnson, DeHaas, Fesler & Ames from 1992 to 1996 and at George & Shields in 1992. He was an associate at the Law Offices of Gerald Schubert in 1992. Lo was a law clerk at Lanak & Hanna in 1991. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Western State College of Law. Lo fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kim G. Dunning. Lo is a Democrat.
Sacramento County Superior Court
Carlton G. Davis, 41, of Roseville, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Davis has served as a court commissioner at the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2017. He served as a deputy district attorney at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2017. Davis served as a deputy district attorney at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office from 2003 to 2006. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California School of Law. He fills the vacancy of a new position created on September 24, 2019. Davis is a Democrat.
Julie G. Yap, 39, of Sacramento, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Yap has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California since 2019. She was a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP from 2016 to 2019, where she was an associate from 2012 to 2016. Yap was an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law from 2007 to 2018. She served as a U.S. Supreme Court fellow in the Administrative Office of the United States Courts from 2011 to 2012. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Frank C. Damrell, Jr. at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California from 2005 to 2011. Yap earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Fordham University School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert M. Twiss. Yap is a Democrat.
San Bernardino County Superior Court
Shannon L. Faherty, 39, of Rancho Cucamonga, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the San Bernardino County Superior Court. Faherty has served as a commissioner at the San Bernardino County Superior Court since 2018. She served as a deputy district attorney at the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2018. Faherty earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She fills the vacancy of a new position created on September 24, 2019. Faherty is registered without party preference.
San Mateo County Superior Court
Rachel E. Holt, 48, of Redwood City, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the San Mateo County Superior Court. Holt has served as a commissioner at the San Mateo County Superior Court since 2014. She was a partner at Carr Yeley and Associates from 2006 to 2014 and an attorney as a sole practitioner at the San Mateo County Private Defender Program from 2003 to 2014. Holt served as a deputy district attorney at the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2002. Holt earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on June 20, 2019. Holt is a Democrat.
Michael K. Wendler, 43, of Belmont, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the San Mateo County Superior Court. Wendler has served as a deputy district attorney at the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office since 2006. He has served in the U.S. Marine Corps since 1998 and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel. Wendler earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Marta S. Diaz. Wendler is a Democrat.
Santa Clara County Superior Court
Brooke A. Blecher, 47, of San Jose, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Blecher has served as a commissioner at the Santa Clara County Superior Court since 2018. She was an attorney and owner at Blecher and Hubbell from 2008 to 2018. Blecher was an attorney at Madden and Redding from 2004 to 2008 and at Olimpia, Whelan, Lively, and Ryan from 2000 to 2004. Blecher earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arizona College of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patrick Tondreau. Blecher is a Democrat.
Yolo County Superior Court
Daniel M. Wolk, 42, of Davis, has been appointed to serve as a judge in the Yolo County Superior Court. Wolk has served as a deputy county counsel in the Office of the Solano County Counsel since 2009. He was an associate attorney at McDonough, Holland & Allen P.C. from 2005 to 2008 and was founder and director of the Legal Clinic of Yolo County from 2006 to 2008. Wolk earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Janet Gaard. Wolk is a Democrat.
The compensation for each of these positions is $214,601.
9月5日莫斯科讯，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京（Vladimir Putin）今天在莫斯科克里姆林宫会见了赴俄访问的库什纳和威特科夫。 此前，俄罗斯和乌克兰今天达成了一项协议，双方同意在特朗普总统女婿贾里德·库什纳（Jared Kushner）和白宫特使史蒂夫·威特科夫（Steve Witkoff）访问莫斯科期间，双方暂停对彼此首都的打击行动；这是旨在结束俄乌战争的最新努力。 克里姆林宫助手尤里·乌沙科夫（Yuri Ushakov）告诉记者，普京与库什纳及威特科夫就如何结束乌克兰战争进行了“极其坦诚”的会谈，美方提出了一些“构想”。 乌沙科夫表示：“美方代表为此次访问做了充分准备。他们不仅表达了希望迅速结束敌对行动的一贯立场，还提出了一些关于可能实现和解途径的构想。” 乌沙科夫说：“会谈具有建设性，且极其坦诚、充满信任，”并补充称俄方“对实现既定目标充满信心”。 在莫斯科举行的这场已被录像记录的会议伊始，普京请库什纳和威特科夫向特朗普总统转达他的亲切问候与谢意，并形容乌克兰局势“并不简单”。 俄罗斯总统新闻秘书德米特里·佩斯科夫告诉塔斯社，普京已下令从今天午夜起，3天内暂停袭击乌克兰首都基辅。佩斯科夫表示，该决定与库什纳和威特科夫计划访问乌克兰首都一事有关；据乌克兰方面称，此次访问定于9月6日进行。 据塔斯社报道，俄罗斯特使基里尔·德米特里耶夫（Kirill Dmitriev）在莫斯科机场迎接了美国特使团。德米特里耶夫分享了美方代表团下机时与他会面的照片，并配文写道：“欢迎来到莫斯科，和平使者们。” 特朗普总统9月4日告诉记者，他已派遣特使带着一项旨在结束冲突的提案前往，这场冲突始于2022年2月24日俄罗斯对乌克兰发动的特别军事行动。据俄罗斯塔斯社报道，俄罗斯特使德米特里耶夫在机场迎接了美国特使代表团。 特朗普总统9月4日对记者说：“我们有一个关于和平的构想，我派出了威特科夫和库什纳这两位都是出色的谈判专家。他们工作表现出色，我们派他们去看看能否促成什么成果。而且，我们很有可能成功。”…
9月5日华盛顿讯，在美联储可能考虑加息的会议召开前10天，特朗普政府似乎正全力施压，试图阻止这一加息举措。 过去一周里，美国总统特朗普、副总统万斯（JD Vance)，以及白宫高级经济顾问彼得·纳瓦罗（Peter Navarro）纷纷敦促美联储不要加息，甚至有人呼吁降息，即便以特朗普总统一贯批评美联储的风格来看，这种公开施压的规模和范围也显得不同寻常。 9月4日，尽管特朗普总统没有像对待美联储前任主席杰伊·鲍威尔（Jay Powell）那样直接批评新任美联储主席凯文·沃什（Kevin Warsh），但他加大了施压力度，威胁称除非美联储降息，否则将停止与那些对美享有贸易顺差的国家的贸易往来。此前，特朗普总统从未因美联储不降息而直接威胁要加征关税。 在特朗普总统发表上述言论后，白宫经济顾问纳瓦罗接受了特朗普前顾问史蒂夫·班农（Steve Bannon）的采访。纳瓦罗在采访中警告称，加息将是“鲁莽”之举，且“将精准打击美国最需要繁荣发展的那些行业”。 纳瓦罗指出，负责制定利率政策的联邦公开市场委员会（FOMC）成员为“小丑”，并表示沃什正试图“做正确的事”。 本周早些时候，美国副总统万斯表示：“我们认为美联储应该降低利率。”他补充道：“我们正在采取许多措施试图压低利率，但如果能得到美联储的协助，那就更好了。” 此外，美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特（Scott Bessent）在接受媒体采访时指出，在遭遇供给冲击时，美联储通常不会加息，除非出现了二阶或三阶通胀效应。 对于美联储主席沃什而言，来自特朗普政府的压力来得并非时候。美国市场目前对9月15日至16日会议上加息的预期概率仅为60%左右，尽管9月4日强劲的美国就业报告在一定程度上提振了这一预期。此次会议召开时，距离美国11月的中期选举仅剩2个月；美国民调显示，美国选民对物价上涨和利率上升普遍感到不满，这让特朗普政府面临巨大压力。 不过，特朗普政府施加的压力会对沃什产生何种影响仍存疑问。《华尔街日报》上月报道称，特朗普总统曾多次与沃什交谈，该说法也得到了其几位助手的公开证实。然而，特朗普总统本人对此予以否认，并表示他在任期内仅与沃什交谈过一次。…
9月5日华盛顿讯，据美国中央司令部（CENTCOM）称，在伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队向一艘美国航空母舰和一艘导弹驱逐舰发射弹道导弹后，美军于今天在波斯湾使3艘伊朗油轮“永久丧失行动能力”。 美国中央司令部声称，伊朗发起的弹道导弹袭击未获成功，美方舰艇成功规避了打击，也无美方人员受伤。作为回应，美方打击了3艘伊朗油轮。 据美国中央司令部通报，位于哈尔克岛（Kharg Island）外海的当妮号（Downy）油轮和位于贾斯克（Jask）附近的斯塔克1号（Stark 1）油轮均已永久丧失行动能力；当时处于空载状态的凯洛号（Kylo）油轮则在阿曼湾的美军打击中被彻底摧毁。美军中央司令部称，相关船员已被要求弃船。 美国中央司令部指挥官布拉德·库珀（Brad Cooper）海军上将在一份声明中表示：“我们要向伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队传达一个明确的信息：如果你们向我们的2艘舰船开火，我们将施加更高的经济代价，即摧毁你们的3艘船只。我们将毫不犹豫地保卫美军，并在必要时摧毁伊朗规模有限且易受攻击的油轮船队。” 社交媒体帖文中还包含了这3次打击行动的视频。 特朗普总统称对伊朗的冲突为“小事一桩”，并力挺9月4日副总统万斯针对伊朗战争不应称之为“战争”的言论。特朗普总统强调说：“许多人并不称之为战争，我称之为军事冲突。” 伊朗媒体法尔斯通讯社（Fars）今天报道称，在与美国爆发新一轮军事冲突数日后，伊朗位于海湾地区主要石油枢纽哈尔克岛附近发生了数起爆炸。 法尔斯通讯社援引其驻地记者的话称，现场传出了爆炸声，但未见烟雾；与此同时，据伊朗官方通讯社学生网（SNN）报道，一艘伊朗油轮在该岛附近“遭到了美国的袭击”。 此前，据伊朗媒体播出并在社交媒体上广泛流传的视频显示，数千名哀悼者和当地官员9月3日参加了伊朗4岁男童阿米尔·穆罕默德·卡里米（Amir Mohammad Karimi）的葬礼。 据伊朗官员称，美军9月1日空袭了伊朗库赫斯塔克市（Kuhestak）一处民宅内的婚礼聚会，至少造成4名平民丧生，卡里米便是其中之一。…
9月5日华盛顿讯，据知情的美国官员向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻部（CBS News）透露，在媒体报道了有关美国先进武器库存的高度机密细节后，作为一项大规模泄密调查的一部分，美军一些最高级别的官员接受了测谎检查。 据3位不愿透露姓名的消息人士称，特朗普总统对这些泄密事件感到非常愤怒。其中一位消息人士表示，只有极少数人能够接触到有关这些军火的机密细节，因此人们担心是否有人可能充当了外国情报机构的内线。 官员们表示，尽管测谎通常是针对高级军方和文职官员的例行程序，但在此次事件中，接受测谎的人员规模之大极为罕见。 据2位消息人士透露，今年夏初数十名官员接受了此类测试，其中包括美国中央司令部的一些官员以及其他战区司令。测谎提问深入涉及了各种与国家安全相关的事项。在旨在查明这些官员是否向媒体泄密的问题上，无人未通过测试。 五角大楼首席发言人肖恩·帕内尔（Sean Parnell）9月4日晚向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻部发表声明称：“国防部不对内部人事或调查事宜发表评论，但对所有涉及国家安全机密信息的泄露事件都极为重视，并会进行相应调查。保护机密信息对于确保美国及全球各地部署的美军部队的安全至关重要。” 并非所有高级军事官员都接受了此次测试。例如，一位五角大楼高级官员表示，参谋长联席会议主席丹·凯恩（Dan Caine）将军并未接受测谎。 《纽约时报》（New York Times）率先报道了这些测谎测试。在伊朗战争爆发数周后，哥伦比亚广播公司新闻部及其他新闻媒体曾报道称，美国消耗其部分最先进且数量有限的弹药的速度极快。 7月，美国战争部长皮特·赫格塞斯（Pete Hegseth）宣布，五角大楼与美国司法部已组建一个联合特别工作组，旨在查明并起诉涉嫌向媒体泄露政府敏感信息的人员；此举大幅扩展了此前在其办公室内部启动的一项行动。 赫格塞斯赋予了由厄尔·马修斯（Earl…
9月4日华盛顿讯，美国总统特朗普今天表示，在今年美国11月中期选举仅剩约2个月之际，他计划动用其政治运作资金中高达5亿美元的款项，以支持共和党人。 特朗普总统在白宫椭圆形办公室对记者说：“我想我的超级政治行动委员会（super PAC）里大概有近十亿美元，我打算拨出四五亿美元，我们要投入大量资金，因为我们不想失去我们的国家。” 在美国众议院和参议院选情激烈的选区，共和党人一直期待特朗普总统的政治行动委员会“让美国再次伟大”(MAGA ）加大投入。据报道，一些共和党官员和策略师曾担心这笔巨额竞选资金会一直闲置不用。 根据向联邦选举委员会提交的最新文件，截至7月31日，“让美国再次伟大”委员会账面现金为4.0345亿美元，该数字不到特朗普所称“近十亿美元”可用资金的一半。自2025年初以来，该委员会支出谨慎，总额约为2100万美元，其中包括170万美元的独立支出。 据报道，该政治行动委员会的资金规模仍超过了任何主要政党委员会的现金储备。该委员会已开始在一些关键摇摆州开展活动，包括本周在密歇根州资助一场由美国副总统万斯（JD Vance）领衔的活动。但在距离选举不到两个月的情况下，其投入的资金远未达到特朗普总统今天所设想的规模。 展望11月中期选举，特朗普总统表示他将亲自决定资金支持的流向，包括支持那些他认为有望在激烈选战中获胜的共和党候选人。 特朗普总统说：“为了帮助我们，无论需要多少钱，我都会投入，这是由我掌控的资金。” 这笔资金并非特朗普总统的个人财产。联邦选举委员会（FEC）将“让美国再次伟大”归类为“未经授权”的混合型政治行动委员会（hybrid PAC），这意味着它不代表特定候选人募集捐款。该委员会的“非捐款账户”可以接受无限额捐款，并为支持或反对候选人的独立支出提供资金，但这些资金不得直接捐赠给候选人。 特朗普总统还表示，预计本轮选举结束后仍会有资金结余，他可能会在2028年大选中动用这笔钱。联邦法规并未要求该委员会在本轮选举周期内耗尽资金余额，因此该组织可以保留资金，用于未来选举的政治活动或其他获准用途。 今天宣布的这笔支出计划，是特朗普总统此前表态将更积极参与中期选举冲刺阶段活动的延续。他9月2日曾表示，将奔赴多地为共和党众议员和参议员候选人助选，并承诺前往阿拉斯加支持参议员丹·沙利文（Dan Sullivan）。…
9月4日加州圣克拉拉讯，美国芯片巨头英伟达（Nvidia）已成为全球最大的科技企业投资者之一；过去一年，该公司股权投资价值飙升十倍以上，增至达到990亿美元。该公司正日益寻求利用其庞大的资本储备来支持人工智能（AI）行业的发展。 英伟达在过去12个月里，加大了对AI产业链各环节企业的投资力度，承诺投入的资金超过400亿美元。截至今年7月26日，该公司股权投资总值已达990亿美元，而一年前该数字约为70亿美元，两年前仅为约22亿美元。 投资价值的激增使英伟达跻身全球持有科技资产最多的战略投资者行列。不过，与一些老牌科技巨头相比，英伟达仍有差距，美国科技公司字母表（Alphabet）和亚马逊（Amazon）在近期的财报中均披露其股权投资价值超过1000亿美元。 英伟达的资本运作已日益成为该公司战略布局中的关键一环。今年8月，该公司宣布与多家大型投资机构建立合作伙伴关系，旨在为英伟达的图形处理器（GPU）相关项目筹集超过5000亿美元的资金；同时，该公司还表示将为OpenAI在俄亥俄州建设的数据中心提供高达105亿美元的有条件信贷支持。此外，英伟达9月3日还宣布计划以129亿美元收购人工智能初创公司“抱抱脸”(Hugging Face)。 无论是处于私营还是公开市场的各类企业，包括前沿AI实验室、新兴云服务商（neoclouds）以及开发AI软件与创新技术的公司都获得了资金注入；与此同时，科技股的飙升也推高了英伟达所持股权的价值。 英伟达在财报中表示，进行这些投资旨在拓展增长机遇、培育生态系统并巩固竞争优势。 英伟达在用于人工智能的最先进芯片，即图形处理器（GPU）市场上占据主导地位，其业务也因此实现了蓬勃发展。 过去12个月里，英伟达的股价上涨了33%；在2025财年第二季度，其营收更是激增106%，达到962亿美元。 他补充道，公司正采取包括提供融资和进行股权投资在内的多种举措，旨在“扩大客户群并构建人工智能（AI）生态系统”。“其中一些举措旨在支持新兴云服务提供商，另一些则帮助英伟达开拓新市场——例如，通过向诺基亚（Nokia）注资10亿美元来布局电信领域。” 处于AI技术前沿的实验室（即“前沿AI实验室”）是英伟达巨额投资的主要受益者。这家芯片巨头的首席财务官科莱特·克雷斯（Colette Kress）在财报电话会议上告诉分析师，公司已向这些前沿AI实验室投入了“近500亿美元”。 就在最近的2月份，英伟达宣布将向OpenAI投资300亿美元，作为后者1100亿美元融资轮的一部分。 克雷斯补充说，尽管前沿AI实验室对算力的需求“惊人”，但它们的发展速度往往超出了其资产负债表和信用状况所能支撑的限度，且难以独立构建“AI工厂”所需的基础设施。“英伟达需要在其中发挥作用，推动这一良性循环。” 购买英伟达GPU并将其算力租赁给其他企业的“新一代云服务商”（Neoclouds）——例如Nebius和CoreWeave——也积极寻求与这家芯片巨头合作。1月份，英伟达向CoreWeave投资了20亿美元；3月份，Nebius也宣布获得了20亿美元的投资。…