A local prosecutor and a local defense attorney have been appointed judges, filling two recent vacancies that opened up due to retirements of sitting judges.
Deputy District Attorney, Jesse Marino, who will become Judge Marino, and defense attorney, Hernaldo J. Baltodano, were appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown last week to the SLO County Superior Court bench.
Marino, 46, has been a prosecutor with the SLO County District Attorney’s Office since 2004. Prior to that, he was a prosecutor with the Riverside County DA’s Office for several years.
In SLO County, Marino “handled nearly every assignment including numerous types of cases including murder, gang, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, major narcotics, and felony crime charging,” according to a news release.
Marino prosecuted some big cases that broke up local drug rings.
His efforts “resulted in indictment by a Grand Jury and prosecution of 13 members of a major heroin trafficking ring with direct ties to the Sinaloa Cartel [of Mexico] and recent Indictment of 10 members of the largest cocaine trafficking ring in San Luis Obispo County history,” said the DA’s Office.
District Attorney Dan Dow described Marino as, “an outstanding attorney who has earned an excellent reputation among his peers, the defense bar, and the Court for high ethical standards, fairness, and good judgment. “We are incredibly proud and wish Jesse and his family the very best of success as he transitions to this new important role.”
In his private life, Marino has also served as the president of the SLO Government Attorney’s Union for several years; is a former board member of San Luis Obispo County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); the former president of the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association; among various other charitable associations.
Baltodano, 41, is a partner in the law firm of Baltodano and Baltodano, LLP in SLO. He will fill the seat opened up by the retirement of Judge Michael Duffy. And Marino takes over for Judge Jac Crawford. Both men are Democrats, and under State law they must stand election in 2018 to retain their seats. Judges make $191,000 a year in SLO County.
