On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed attorney Teresa Martinez to the Santa Barbara Superior Court bench.

Martinez, a registered Democrat, is filling a vacancy after Judge Jean Dandona recently retired. She will be sworn in on May 27.

Martinez has a long legal history in Santa Barbara. Since 2018 she has served as a Senior Deputy County Counsel at the Santa Barbara County Counsel’s Office, according to court executive officer Darrel Parker.

Presiding Judge Patricia Kelly welcomed Martinez and said she will be an outstanding addition to the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

“Her tenure with County Counsel’s Office provides her with excellent experience in
preparation for this new role,” Judge Kelly said. “I join all my colleagues on the Santa Barbara Superior Court in welcoming her to this new chapter in her career. The community will be well served by this appointment.”

Martinez earned a Juris Doctor degree from Cincinnati College of Law and began her work as a contact attorney at the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County from 2011 to 2012.

From 2012 to 2013 she worked as a staff attorney at at California Rural Legal Assistance then worked as a directing attorney from 2013 to 2016.

She was a solo practitioner at Teresa Martinez Law from 2016 to 2017 and then an associate at Buynak, Fauver, Archbald & Spray LLP (now Fauver, Large, Archbald & Spray) from 2017 to 2018, according to Parker.

Dandona started on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court bench on Nov. 5, 2008 and officially retired as a judge on Nov. 29, 2024. She most recently presided over a criminal courtroom in the Anacapa Courthouse in Santa Barbara.