By Jorge Casuso

February 8, 2023 -- Former Santa Monica Mayor Richard Blooom -- who rose from neighborhood activist to influential Assemblymember -- has been appointed as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

A family law attorney from 1978 to 2005, Bloom was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 31 to fill one of ten Superior Court vacancies. He was the only elected official appointed.

Bloom's appointment comes two months after he completed his fifth two-year term on the State Assembly, where he was a staunch champion of environmental causes and housing development.

After abruptly dropping out as the frontrunner in the race for LA County Supervisor early last year, Bloom announced he would not run for reelection in 2022, piquing curiosity about his next career move.

As a Superior Court judge, Bloom will hear every case type under state law –- criminal, civil, family law, juvenile dependency and delinquency, probate, mental health and traffic, according to the Court's website.

"Cases range from simple traffic infractions to murders; landlord/tenant disputes to multi-million dollar lawsuits; guardianships to involuntary commitments," the website states.

Bloom initially won his Assembly seat in a hotly contested election in 2012, making him the first Santa Monican to make the leap from City Hall to Sacramento, and was easily reelected every two years, winning by more than 75 percent of the vote in 2020.

He took many of the causes he championed during his 13 years as a Councilmember to the State Capitol. These included banning single-use plastic products, increasing homeless services, boosting affordable housing and pushing for public transportation.

As a member of the Assembly he served as Chair of the the Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Energy, Climate Crisis and Transportation.

He also served on numerous committees, including those on Higher Education, Business & Professions and Local Government.

Bloom became involved in local politics in 1995 when he helped draw attention to a series of unreported rapes.

Before running for City Council, he was a key player in a heated neighborhood battle over traffic calming measures in Sunset Park.

Bloom served three years as mayor before being elected to the State Assembley.

While on the Council, he was executive director for Community Initiatives at People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) from 2008 to 2010 and executive director of the Levitt Quinn Family Law Center from 2005 to 2007.

Bloom fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Sherilyn P. Garnett to the federal bench.