BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced the appointment of three judges to Kern County Superior Court, including the first Latina to hold that position. Wendy L. Avila and Bernard C. Barmann Jr., both of Bakersfield, and Jason W. Webster of Tehachapi are the newly-appointed judges.
Avila, 52, has served as senior assistant inspector general of the office of the Inspector General since 2017, according to a news release from the governor’s office. She was an adjunct lecturer at Cal State Bakersfield from 2008 to 2016, and served as a deputy district attorney at the Kern County District Attorney’s office from 1999 to 2017. Avila earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Steven M. Katz. Avila is a Democrat.
Barmann, 54, has been a partner at Kuhs & Parker since 2019, where he was an associate from 2011 to 2019. He was counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP from 2008-11, a partner at Hirschmann & Barmann LLP from 2002-07, an associate at Proskauer Rose LLP from 2000-02 and special counsel and associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP from 1990-99.
Barmann earned a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. He fills the vacancy of a new position created Sept. 24, 2019. He is registered without a party preference.
Webster, 47, has served as a commissioner at the Kern County Superior Court since 2017. He served as a deputy district attorney for the Kern County District Attorney’s office from 2008 to 2017 and was a sole practitioner from 2007 to 2008. Webster served as a deputy district attorney at the Tulare County District Attorney’s office from 2005-07, and was an associate at Andrus and Associates from 2004-05.
He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Baylor University Law School. Webster fills the vacancy of a new position created Sept. 24, 2019. He is a Republican.
