Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo has agreed to resign and accept a severe public censure amid allegations of misconduct, according to a state agency overseeing judicial conduct.

After initiating formal proceedings against Carrozzo, the California Commission on Judicial Performance last week approved the stipulation for discipline by consent, essentially a plea deal. The state agency announced the resolution of the case Thursday.

Carrozzo agreed to resign effective Sept. 9, but will use accrued vacation or other leave time to stop serving as judge starting June 2.

He also agreed not to serve as a judge or accept work from any California state court after Sept. 9. The California Constitution designates the state agency as the monitor of judges’ conduct. 

“Judge Carrozzo concedes that he committed ten acts of willful misconduct, and nine acts of prejudicial misconduct, that violated the Code of Judicial Ethics,” the 41-page document signed by the judge, Carrozzo’s attorney and a judicial commission representative said.

The document called the judge’s misconduct “serious” and said it “includes a significant number of acts.” 

“The misconduct was of a nature to undermine public respect and confidence in the integrity of the judiciary,” the order said. 

“Sometimes, the right thing to do for your family, as well as your court and colleagues, is to move on, which is what Mike Carrozzo agreed to do last week,” said Heather Linn Rosing of Rosing Pott & Strohbehn, his attorneys in the Commission matter.

His attorney dubbed the departure as retirement, but the state called it an “irrevocable resignation.”

“He is grateful for the opportunities given to him by his court, and he thanks his wife for standing by him,” Rosing said.

Late last year, the state agency overseeing judges initiated formal proceedings for misconduct spanning more than two years. His response filed earlier this year denied the misconduct rose to a level for censure or removal from office and claimed the investigators violated his privacy.

Among allegations, the panel contended Carrozzo drafted correspondence with a letterhead making it appear as if he was an attorney, and falsely stated he represented his then-judicial secretary whom he later married. 

The correspondence related to a vehicle crash involving the woman, Sara Romero (now known as Sara Eklund). 

This included sending letters using letterhead saying “attorney at law” and listing a State Street address housing a UPS Store. 

“At the time Judge Carrozzo signed the letter, he knew that, as a judge, he was not an active licensee of the California State Bar and was not permitted to practice law,” the commission wrote.

Carrozzo later sent a fax redacting the court seal on the cover sheet. The commission also had a recorded phone call between an insurance company employee and Carrozzo where the judge claimed he represented Eklund.

Judges don’t hold active licenses with the California State Bar and are not permitted to practice law as attorneys. 

The state agency’s investigation called Carrozzo’s actions “deceptive and misleading.” 

He also drafted letters related to Eklund’s lease, delivery of a mattress she purchased and more.

Another allegation centered on Carrozzo using his court email account including signature block spelling out his role as judge to secure a spot at a child care center for his then-unborn child with Eklund. 

The judge also used his court email account to make comments described as “gratuitous, unprofessional, disrespectful, and unkind” about other judges and court staff, the state noted.

“The judge’s agreement to resign effective September 9, 2025, and not to seek or hold judicial office, effectively reaches the same resolution as removal, affords protection to the public, enforces rigorous standards of judicial conduct, and maintains public confidence in the integrity of the judicial system, in the most expeditious manner by avoiding the delay of further proceedings,” the stipulated order said.

The incidents involved in the misconduct occurred while Carrozzo served as assistant presiding judge and presiding judge for the Superior Courts in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc.

Carrozzo, a former prosecutor with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, was appointed to serve as judge in 2014 and his current term began in 2023. 

The notice of formal proceedings, his response and the stipulated order can be found at www.cjp.ca.gov