Rigali, Bullard to face off in November

Rigali, Bullard to face off in November By Quintin Cushner — Staff Writer 3/3/04 Republicans James Rigali and Ed Bullard were the top vote-getters among four candidates Tuesday and will face off in November for the Santa Barbara County Superior Court seat being vacated by Judge Barbara Beck. With all precincts reporting, Rigali received 30.9 percent of votes, while Bullard received 26.5 percent. Relatively close behind were Lompoc lawyer James Hall and Santa Maria attorney Adrian Andrade, both Democrats. Hall finished third with 21.3 percent, while Andrade received 20.8 percent. All four candidates for the non-partisan judgeship were from the North County. Whoever wins the countywide race in the fall is expected to initially sit in a criminal courtroom in Santa Maria. Rigali, an Orcutt resident who practices civil law, celebrated his victory with his family and supporters at his Santa Maria campaign headquarters. “We’re excited that voters decided to give us the status as top vote-getter,” Rigali said, noting that his academic credentials and civil law experience set him apart from Bullard. Rigali was endorsed by Beck, Judge Rodney Melville and the Santa Barbara Police Officer’s Association. He is a shareholder at Kirk & Simas Law Firm, and has said a desire to serve the public is driving his candidacy. Bullard, who works as a senior deputy district attorney in Lompoc, spent election night at home with his wife in Solvang. “There’s a lot of work to be done,” Bullard said, adding that he would emphasize his criminal law experience and his stint as a California Highway Patrol officer during his campaign in the Nov. 2 runoff election. Bullard is supported by the Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney’s Association and Superior Court judges Brian Hill and Zel Canter. Staff writer Quintin Cushner can be reached at 739-2217 or by e-mail at qcushner@pulitzer.net. :nav Source: http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2004/03/03/news/news05.txt