Governor appoints first Fil-Am judge in California county superior court

Benjamin Reyes was appointed by California Gov. Jerry Brown to the Contra Costa County Superior Court.

SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Jerry Brown appointed the first ever Filipino American judge to serve on the Contra Costa County, California bench on May 22.

Brown appointed Benjamin Reyes, 51, an Alameda resident who has been city attorney for Union City, California since 2010 and for Pinole since 2004. He is the son of Filipino immigrants and public servants.

The appointment makes Reyes the first Filipino American named to the Contra Costa County Superior Court and also the second Filipino American to serve in the nine Bay Area counties. He will replace retired Judge Thomas Maddock.

Reyes has been a principal at the law firm Meyers, Nave, Riback, Silver & Wilson PLC since 2005.

He is also one of the first Filipino Americans appointed by elected officials to serve as City Attorney, serving as City Attorney for Pinole for the past 12 years and as City Attorney for Union City for the past 6 years.