History repeats itself; judge's son appointed to California bench

TALK ABOUT the nut not falling far from the tree; a son following in his father's footsteps; like father, like son. Pick any number of cliche's that apply.

When Julian Recana was appointed by California Gov. Jerry Brown to a judgeship in Los Angeles Superior Court, history was made.

Thirty-four years ago, his father, Mel Red Recana made history when he became the first Filipino/American judge in the United States. Last July 1t, Julian Recana was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court by the same Jerry Brown, who at the time had just won re-election as governor. 

Judge Julian Recana

Julian Recana "is an exemplary public servant, and Los Angeles County, one of the most diverse counties in the country, is fortunate to have him as a judge,” stated Christine Gonong, president of the Philippine American Bar Association in a press release.

A veteran prosecutor, Judge Recana has served as a Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 1999. He was previously assigned to the Long Beach Courthouse for 11 years prosecuting murders that occur in Long Beach and parts of Los Angeles. He was awarded Deputy District Attorney of the Month in 2014. 

He is currently with the Hardcore Gang Division in Downtown Los Angeles, prosecuting serious, violent, gang-related offenses. Judge Recana was promoted to Deputy District Attorney Grade IV in February of 2015. He received his B.A. degree in Economics in 1992 at the University of California, Berkeley and his J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1998. Judge Recana began his career as a contract attorney at Early, Maslach, Price & Baukol.

Julian Recana, a Lifetime Member of PABA, was a founding officer of the PABA Foundation and has served as its Assistant Secretary for several years before joining the PABA Board of Governors in 2013. 

Mel Avanzado, the founding president of the PABA Foundation, said, “During his first term as governor, Governor Brown 34 years ago appointed Julian’s father, Mel Red Recana, as the first Filipino American judge in the United States. The Governor’s appointment of Julian to join his father on the Los Angeles Superior Court bench is historic and fitting. Julian will be a tremendous asset to our bench.”

I was still working for the Philippine News, a Filipino American newspaper based in San Francisco, during Gov. Brown's campaign for reelection in 1980. I'm not sure if he is aware of it, but Brown played an important role in Filipino American history. He was the first major candidate for statewide office who paid any attention to the fledgling Filipino political movement. The Filipino American Political Association was about a decade old at that point, but Brown's campaign was the first major campaign no note the changing demographics of California.

As one of the newspaper's editors, the PN editorial staff had occasion to have a luncheon with the youthful governor during a campaign swing through the San Francisco Bay Area. PN publisher Alex Esclamado was also one of the leaders of the Filipino American Political Association and as he often did, he blurred the lines between publisher and community activist. 

After shaking the governor's hand,  I remember standing next to Esclamado and noted all the Filipinos crowding around Brown. I flippantly mentioned to him, "Look at all the browns for Brown." I saw a spark in Esclamado's eyes as he repeated the phrase, Browns for Brown. I wasn't sure if I had offended him or not. All I know that a week later, he began handing out these dark brown campaign buttons with "Browns for Brown" written on it in a lighter shade of brown. 

California's Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye

Not coincidentally, one of the first acts Governor Brown did after he won his reelection, was to appoint the first Filipino judge in the U.S. in 1981. A couple years later, Ron Quidachay was selected to become the first Filipino/ American judge  in Northern California.

Since then, a number of Filipino/Americans have since been named to the bench. Among the most notable of is Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, the 28th chief justice of the State of California. She was sworn into office on January 3, 2011, and is the first Asian-Filipina American and the second woman to serve as the state’s chief justice. Once again, Gov. Brown made history.

Like it or not, that is how politics works. Filipinos have a saying: utang na loob (loosely translated it implies that debts or favors have to be paid back). Some might say it is catering to special interests. Others call it progress.

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