SDUB Leadership
Meet the team committed to fostering unity and excellence.
Steering Committee
Hon. Amrit Vaani Chawla
Events Committee Co-Chair
Jodi Cleesattle
Events Committee Co-Chair
Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice
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Our Mission
The purpose of the San Diego Unity Bar is to create a space for diverse bar associations to collaborate regarding issues of concern and to support a more diverse judiciary, reflecting San Diego’s Community.
San Diego Unity Bar Priorities
Endorsing diverse judicial candidates for appointment to the bench
Supporting diverse judicial officers in contested elections where opponents use the judicial officer's diversity to unseat them
Creating a diverse pathway to the bench, including efforts to address imposter phenomenon and helping diverse candidates understand the judicial application process.
Amplifying diverse programming and issuing statements on important matters affecting the San Diego community.
Our History
California Unity Bar’s Origin
In 1987 in Sacramento, Jerry Chong, Luis Céspedes, and retired Judge Renard Shepard — then the leaders of the Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento, La Raza Lawyers of Sacramento (now the Cruz Reynoso Bar Association), and the Wiley Manuel Bar Association — joined together to form the Unity Bar Association of Sacramento.
The Unity Bar’s mission was to bring together diverse bar associations in a collective effort to promote equity, inclusion, and meaningful representation on the judicial bench. What began as a collaborative effort in Sacramento has since inspired counties throughout California — including San Diego — to advance the shared goal of fostering a more equitable and inclusive judiciary.
San Diego Unity Bar’s Origin
In May 2022, Ted Holmquist and Ramesses Surban attended the Unity Bar Summit in Sacramento, where they heard California Supreme Court Justice Martin Jenkins, California Supreme Court Justice Kelli Evans (then an Alameda County Superior Court judge), and Attorney General Rob Bonta speak about the importance of a judiciary that reflects the communities it serves, as well as the critical role Unity Bars play in advancing that vision. Inspired by these discussions, they returned to San Diego and began engaging local diverse bar associations in conversations about establishing a Unity Bar in San Diego County.
On January 18, 2024, nine diverse bar associations formally came together to advance equity and inclusivity within California’s judiciary, establishing the San Diego Unity Bar. The founding organizations include the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association (EBGBA), Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego (FALSD), Iranian American Bar Association – San Diego Chapter (IABA-SD), Korean American Bar Association of San Diego (KABA-SD), Lawyers Club of San Diego, Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego (PALSD), San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association (SDLRLA), South Asian Bar Association of San Diego (SABA-SD), and the Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association (THLA).
Since its founding, the Unity Bar has expanded to include thirteen organizations, with the addition of four affiliate groups: the Arab American Bar Association (AABA), Japanese American Bar Association (JABA), the San Diego County Native American Lawyers Association, and the San Diego Jewish Bar Association.
San Diego Unity Bar Founders
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Hon. Judge Vallera Johnson (Ret.)
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Hon. Vaani Chawla
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Ted Holmquist
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Desirae Sanders
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Jodi Cleesattle
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Brandon Kimura
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Mikhak Ghorban
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Ramesses Surban
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Arcelia Magaña
Get in Touch
Questions or interested in getting more involved, email us at:
SanDiegoUnityBar@gmail.com