Benicia attorney Steve Gizzi is campaigning for Solano Superior Court judge. (Courtesy photo)

Steve Gizzi, the managing partner of a Benicia law firm and a former City Councilmember, announced his candidacy for Solano County Superior Court judge this week. Gizzi and his volunteers collected enough signatures from Solano County residents to be placed on the June 5 ballot.

Gizzi is a managing partner with the law firm Gizzi Reep Foley, where his areas of practice include mediation and arbitration, estate planning, contractor disputes, wills and trusts, real estate law and more. He also has been a member at large for the Solano County Bar Association since 2003— including a stint as president in 2010—and has been a Judge pro tem with the Solano County Superior Court since 2008.

In addition to his law practice, Gizzi cites more than 30 years of civic experience, beginning in Concord where he was a member of the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce and Redevelopment Advisory Commission, all from 1984 to 1986. Afterwards, he and his family moved to Benicia.

“I was not fortunate enough to be born in Solano County, but I got here as fast as I could,” he said in a statement.

Gizzi served on Benicia’s Economic Development Board from 1986 to 1990, the Chamber of Commerce board from 1990 to 1993 and the Planning Commission from 1990 to 1996, including a stint as chair. He also co-founded the Benicia Youth Action Task Force and served on its board from 1998 to 2002. He was also elected to the City Council in 1996, where he served until 2002, gaining a position on the School Board Liaison Committee and serving as vice mayor for a period.

In a statement, Gizzi said an ongoing challenge for the Solano County Superior Court is “doing more with less.”

“After major budget cuts over the past five years, the Court was forced to cut back on services, hours, supplies, and anywhere else it could find to make up for the shortfall,” he said. “Financial concerns continue to remain high on the Court’s list of challenges, and its ability to effectively function is only accomplished by a dedicated staff, including judicial officers, who recognize that the Court must always produce unbiased, timely justice without compromise, regardless of economics.”

To this end, Gizzi encouraged maximum cooperation between departments and supporting all manners of Alternative Dispute Resolution in civil and family law cases.

“I recognize that as a judge, this will require me to work harder, smarter and more efficiently,” he said. “Dockets will have to be managed in the most effective ways.”

In another statement, he stressed that actions and qualifications were more important than rhetoric.

“In every judicial election, candidates like to claim they will be ‘tough on crime,’” he said. “However, that is a hollow phrase and only a starting point. After all, who wants a society that isn’t ‘tough on crime?’ A qualified judicial candidate must have more to offer. I have much more to offer.”

For more information about Gizzi and his campaign, visit his site at gizzi4judge.com.

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