Ventura County prosecutor Ethel Hernandez appointed to serve as Superior Court judge

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Governor Newsom appointed Ethel Hernandez to serve as a Ventura County Superior Court judge announced the Ventura County District Attorney's Office on Thursday.

The vacancy on the Ventura County Superior Court bench was created following the retirement of Judge Bruce A. Young.

Hernandez will begin her new role on May 13, 2024.

Hernandez is a second-generation Mexican-American raised in Oxnard and has served a prosecutor with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office since 2012.

"I am extremely grateful for my time in the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office as a member of
the professional staff and then as a Deputy District Attorney," said Hernandez regarding the appointment. "The time I have spent in this office and the work over the past 12 years, I will carry with me forever."

Most recently, Hernandez has served as the senior prosecutor with the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units, a task force that focuses on prosecuting those that sell, furnish, and distribute fentanyl in the local community.

"Ethel’s journey to the bench is a story of steadfast determination and perseverance combined with sound legal experience," explained Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. "Ethel’s contribution to the judiciary will be positive and lasting. I want to thank the Governor and his staff for appointing Ethel and for selecting a member of the District Attorney’s office to fill the judicial vacancy.”

Hernandez earned a Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and a Master of Law degree from Lamar University.