Luis Céspedes was sworn in as Governor Gavin Newsom’s Judicial Appointments Secretary on December 10, 2020, bringing decades of legal, legislative, and public service experience to the role. A Santa Maria native who joined United Farm Workers strike lines at age 15, he went on to earn his B.A. and M.A. from Occidental College and his law degree from U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and built a distinguished career as a Sacramento attorney, co-founder of the Unity Bar Association of Sacramento, and Pro Tem judge and arbitrator for the Sacramento County Superior Court. Named “Distinguished Attorney of the Year” by the Sacramento County Bar Association in 2018 and included in the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Lawyers” in 2021, Secretary Céspedes has also served in key legislative roles and on numerous boards and commissions, including as chair of the Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Commission.
