Veteran Alameda County prosecutor appointed to serve as judge in Contra Costa County

MARTINEZ — An Alameda County prosecutor of nearly three decades was appointed this week to serve as a Contra Costa Superior Court judge, according to an announcement Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Michael Nieto, an assistant district attorney, was appointed by Newsom to replace Judge Clare Maier, who is retiring, the governor’s office said.

A prosecutor in Alameda County since 1997, Nieto recently worked on a task force comprised of attorneys from the California Attorney General’s Office and the California National Guard to prosecute a range of retail theft, auto burglary and other “serious and complex crimes,” as part of a larger emphasis by the governor’s office to reduce crime levels across the East Bay.

Before that, he oversaw charging decisions at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland. He also has worked as an adjunct professor at the University of California College of the Law in San Francisco since 2013.

Among the more recent rulings by Maier was a decision in April 2023 to release the names of 17 Antioch police officers who were accused of using racist slurs, jokes and memes in numerous text messages.

In releasing the names, Maier urged caution, saying the content of the messages was so offensive it could “incite further hate or racial animus.” Still, she said information about the texts — and the identities of the officers involved — “doesn’t deserve protection” under the California evidence code.

Also this week, Newsom appointed Cynthia Chen, a supervising attorney with the Dependency Advocacy Center, to serve as a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge. She takes over for Judge Kenneth P. Barnum, who is retiring.

In addition, Sarah Burdick received an appointment as a superior court judge in San Mateo County — allowing her to immediately assume a post for which she was recently elected. Had she not received the appointment, she would have had to wait until January 2025.

Nieto and Burdick are registered Democrats and Chen is registered to vote without party preference, the governor’s office said.

The compensation for each of the positions is $238,479.