James Bertoli Admonished

James G. Bertoli, a Sonoma County Superior Court judge, was publicly admonished by the California Commission on Judicial Performance for improper political activity connected to a 2021 effort by the West Sonoma County Union High School Board to rename Analy High School, Bertoli's alma mater, to West County High School. Bertoli — a former Analy baseball coach and longtime sports announcer at the school — became an outspoken and at times caustic public critic of the renaming effort, engaging through Facebook posts, letters to The Press Democrat, public comments, rallies, and speeches.

The Commission found that while Bertoli was free to hold and privately discuss his views, his conduct as a sitting judge crossed into improper political activity and improper social media conduct that demeaned the judicial office.