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Mark B. Simons

Associate Justice, Division 5
Full 12-year termNo trial data

Former public defender; trial judge from 1980 and the longest-serving First District justice. Ruled Sonoma's civilian sheriff-oversight office can subpoena deputies.

On your ballot. Vote Yes or No on keeping Mark B. Simons on the court (full 12-year term). Appears on ballots in Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma.

Qualifications

Appointment. Appointed by Gov. Gray Davis, 2000. Retained 2014.
Outside rating. None found. The State Bar rates nominees before appointment, but we could not find this rating in public sources.
Before the bench. Contra Costa County public defender, then a municipal court judge from 1980 and Contra Costa Superior Court judge from 1995 (presiding judge 1999 to 2000). Longest-serving First District justice; author of widely used evidence guides.

Conduct

No public discipline or controversies found.

What others recommend

Robyn Nordell's conservative guide repeats Craig Huey's picks, so it is not listed separately.
Trellis does not make recommendations. These are positions published by outside groups as of October 16, 2026. Labels describe each group's general leaning.

Notable rulings

From the trial court record

Trial court service predates Trellis coverage; no profile found.
Sources: Daily Journal

Others on the same ballot

  • Monique Langhorne WilsonNapa's first Black deputy DA; Napa commissioner and judge for 17 years. Ruled the Skunk Train is a public utility that can use eminent domain.
  • Charles A. Smiley IIIFormer Alameda public defender; Alameda commissioner and judge from 2007, including presiding judge and juvenile and treatment courts. Appointed 2025; no widely reported appellate rulings yet.
  • Kathleen M. BankeAppellate lawyer for over 20 years; Alameda trial judge 2006 to 2009. Ordered Vallejo to release more of its investigation into officers' badge-bending after shootings.
  • Therese M. StewartFormer San Francisco Chief Deputy City Attorney who argued the city's marriage equality cases; never a trial judge. Revived a 1987 death-row inmate's hidden-evidence claim.
  • Tara M. DesautelsFormer Alameda deputy DA and white-collar litigator; Alameda trial judge for 14 years, including presiding judge during COVID. Appointed 2024; no widely reported appellate rulings yet.
  • Ioana PetrouFormer federal prosecutor and health-care fraud coordinator; Alameda trial judge 2010 to 2018. For a 2-1 panel, threw out a $2.16 million verdict for a fired PG&E lineman.
  • Victor A. RodriguezFormer MALDEF fellow and longtime California Supreme Court staff attorney; ran Alameda's first domestic violence restraining order courtroom. Upheld insurers' use of marital status in rates.
  • Tracie L. BrownFormer federal prosecutor; San Francisco trial judge 2013 to 2018. Largely upheld Prop 22, keeping app-based drivers as independent contractors; the Supreme Court affirmed.
  • Danny Y. ChouFormer San Francisco appellate chief and Santa Clara lead-paint litigator; San Mateo trial judge 2018 to 2023. Ruled public school employees may strike over unfair labor practices.
  • Gordon B. BurnsFormer deputy attorney general, first Deputy Solicitor General for civil law, and CalEPA undersecretary; never a trial judge. Halted People's Park student housing; later reversed.