It’s Time for New Justice:
Insight, Compassion, and Respect for the Law
My name is Cabral Bonner, and I am focused on giving back to the Alameda County community that has profoundly shaped my life.
So I ask for your vote in the June 2 election for Alameda County Superior Court Judge.
I was raised in Oakland, and my wife and I chose to raise and educate our children here, too. My first professional experience — more than two decades ago as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the Oakland Public Schools — was pivotal. That direct work alongside teachers, students, and families inspired me to focus my entire career on supporting and strengthening our community.
Today, I am a civil rights attorney, having earned my undergraduate and law school degrees from Stanford University. Upon graduation, I joined the law offices of Bonner & Bonner, where I worked alongside my father, civil rights attorney Charles Bonner.
For the past 20 years, I have had the distinct privilege of representing countless Alameda County residents in court. I represent people — not the government, corporations, or insurance companies — seeking fairness, dignity, and justice within a complex legal system. I work on a wide range of civil cases, including police excessive force and false arrest, employment discrimination, hostile work environments, whistleblower retaliation, mass torts, elder abuse, medical malpractice, mass shootings, and personal injury.
Ten years ago, I decided to broaden my connection to the legal process, completing mediation training at the Center for Understanding in Conflict. Since then, I have helped people resolve disputes through thoughtful, collaborative problem-solving that achieves fair and durable outcomes. I do this mediator on the Alameda Superior Court and Northern District Alternative Dispute Resolution panels. I also volunteer for the courts as a judge pro tem.
As a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, I will bring this broad and deep experience to the bench with compassion, empathy, equity, and full respect for the law. I understand how profoundly court decisions affect the lives of Alameda County residents, and I am committed to ensuring every person who enters the courtroom is treated with fairness, care, and respect.
I am Cabral Bonner: Judge for the People.
It’s Time for New Justice:
Insight, Compassion, and Respect for the Law
My name is Cabral Bonner, and I am focused on giving back to the Alameda County community that has profoundly shaped my life.
So I ask for your vote in the June 2 election for Alameda County Superior Court Judge.
I was raised in Oakland, and my wife and I chose to raise and educate our children here, too. My first professional experience — more than two decades ago as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the Oakland Public Schools — was pivotal. That direct work alongside teachers, students, and families inspired me to focus my entire career on supporting and strengthening our community.
Today, I am a civil rights attorney, having earned my undergraduate and law school degrees from Stanford University. Upon graduation, I joined the law offices of Bonner & Bonner, where I worked alongside my father, civil rights attorney Charles Bonner.
For the past 20 years, I have had the distinct privilege of representing countless Alameda County residents in court. I represent people — not the government, corporations, or insurance companies — seeking fairness, dignity, and justice within a complex legal system. I work on a wide range of civil cases, including police excessive force and false arrest, employment discrimination, hostile work environments, whistleblower retaliation, mass torts, elder abuse, medical malpractice, mass shootings, and personal injury.
Ten years ago, I decided to broaden my connection to the legal process, completing mediation training at the Center for Understanding in Conflict. Since then, I have helped people resolve disputes through thoughtful, collaborative problem-solving that achieves fair and durable outcomes. I do this mediator on the Alameda Superior Court and Northern District Alternative Dispute Resolution panels. I also volunteer for the courts as a judge pro tem.
As a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, I will bring this broad and deep experience to the bench with compassion, empathy, equity, and full respect for the law. I understand how profoundly court decisions affect the lives of Alameda County residents, and I am committed to ensuring every person who enters the courtroom is treated with fairness, care, and respect.
I am Cabral Bonner: Judge for the People.
Endorsements
- Hon. Han Tran (Alameda County Superior Court)
- Hon. Elizabeth L. Riles (Alameda County Superior Court)
- Hon. Mark Fickes (Alameda County Superior Court)
- Hon. Paul Herbert (Ret) (Alameda County Superior Court)
- Victor Aguilar (San Leandro City Council)
- Khaldoun Baghdadi, Esq. (Walkup Melodia Kelly & Schoenberger)
- Dr. Mark Alexander, Secretary, 100 Black Men of America
- Hon. Lynn Duryee, (Ret.) (Marin County Superior Court)
- Anne Marie Murphy, Esq. (Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP)
- Sara Peters, Esq. (Walkup Melodia Kelly & Schoenberger)
- Ernest Warren, Jr. Esq (Warren and Sugarman)
- Geoff Yost, Esq.Â
- David Marroso ,Esq.
- Madhu Pocha, Esq.
- David Newton, ILWU / BALMA Local 10 Treasurer; nephew of Huey P. Newton.
Why Elect Cabral?
Judge for the People
Since 2019, I have volunteered as a Day of Court mediator for the Alameda County Small Claims Court. After mediating cases, I often remained in the courtroom to observe how the judges handled small claims matters.
Having practiced law for nearly twenty years in state and federal courts in California and across the country, I was initially struck by the judges’ approach to gathering information. The questions often sounded less like traditional fact-gathering and more like lessons—designed to educate litigants about the law and how it applied to their lives.
Those experiences reinforced my respect for the law and its profound role in people’s lives. Too often, ordinary people do not recognize the law’s impact until they find themselves in a courtroom.Â
I am seeking to serve as a judge because I believe my experience and temperament would enable me to better serve the community as a neutral decision-maker, focused on achieving the correct legal outcome rather than advocating for one client’s interests over another’s.Â
My goal is simple: that every person who appears before me leaves knowing they were treated with Compassion, Equity, and Empathy, and in accordance with the law. Click to READ MORE…
Why Elect Cabral?
Judge for the People
Since 2019, I have volunteered as a Day of Court mediator for the Alameda County Small Claims Court. After mediating cases, I often remained in the courtroom to observe how the judges handled small claims matters.
Having practiced law for nearly twenty years in state and federal courts in California and across the country, I was initially struck by the judges’ approach to gathering information. The questions often sounded less like traditional fact-gathering and more like lessons—designed to educate litigants about the law and how it applied to their lives.
Those experiences reinforced my respect for the law and its profound role in people’s lives. Too often, ordinary people do not recognize the law’s impact until they find themselves in a courtroom.Â
I am seeking to serve as a judge because I believe my experience and temperament would enable me to better serve the community as a neutral decision-maker, focused on achieving the correct legal outcome rather than advocating for one client’s interests over another’s.Â
My goal is simple: that every person who appears before me leaves knowing they were treated with Compassion, Equity, and Empathy, and in accordance with the law.
Click to READ MORE…
What is Cabral’s Point of View?
Judicial temperament begins with respect for the law, for the people who come before the court, and for the diverse communities the court serves. Throughout my career, I have approached courtrooms as places where real people seek fairness and accountability during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.Â
My work has taught me that fairness requires not only correct legal outcomes, but also patience, careful listening, clear communication, and even-handed treatment so that every person feels heard and understands the process. As a trial attorney, I have seen how profoundly court decisions affect individuals, families, and communities, reinforcing the importance of humility, objectivity, and respect for all participants, including litigants, attorneys, witnesses, and court staff. I am especially mindful that many self-represented litigants feel intimidated by the legal system, and I am committed to fostering a courtroom that is orderly and efficient, yet accessible and respectful.Â
As a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, I would bring a steady temperament grounded in compassion, equity, empathy, and impartiality, ensuring that every person is treated with dignity and respect. Click to READ MORE…
What is Cabral’s Point of View?
Judicial temperament begins with respect for the law, for the people who come before the court, and for the diverse communities the court serves. Throughout my career, I have approached courtrooms as places where real people seek fairness and accountability during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.Â
My work has taught me that fairness requires not only correct legal outcomes, but also patience, careful listening, clear communication, and even-handed treatment so that every person feels heard and understands the process. As a trial attorney, I have seen how profoundly court decisions affect individuals, families, and communities, reinforcing the importance of humility, objectivity, and respect for all participants, including litigants, attorneys, witnesses, and court staff. I am especially mindful that many self-represented litigants feel intimidated by the legal system, and I am committed to fostering a courtroom that is orderly and efficient, yet accessible and respectful.Â
As a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, I would bring a steady temperament grounded in compassion, equity, empathy, and impartiality, ensuring that every person is treated with dignity and respect.
Click to READ MORE…
Where has he Been?
I am an Oakland-raised, Stanford-educated second-generation civil rights attorney with lifelong commitment to public service. My father, civil rights attorney Charles Bonner, has practiced law for more than four decades, but becoming a lawyer was not a predetermined path for me. After college, I served two years with AmeriCorps in Oakland public schools, where I worked closely with teachers, families, and administrators to strengthen parent engagement and improve student outcomes. These experiences shaped my understanding of how institutions affect people’s lives and reinforced my commitment to equity, collaboration, and service.
My path to law school required persistence. After an initial rejection, I regrouped, reapplied, and ultimately attended UC Davis School of Law before transferring to Stanford Law School. During law school, I worked with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and represented clients through the Stanford Community Law Clinic in employment and housing matters. After graduating, I joined my father’s practice with the goal of serving individuals seeking fairness and accountability. For nearly twenty years, I have litigated civil cases in state and federal courts throughout California and beyond, including matters involving civil rights, police excessive force and false arrest, employment discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, elder abuse, mass shootings, medical malpractice, mass torts, and serious personal injury.
In addition to trial work, I have extensive experience in mediation and dispute resolution. I completed formal mediation training in 2014 and have since served as a mediator, judge pro tem, and volunteer for the courts. I currently serve on the Alameda County Superior Court and Northern District ADR panels. These experiences have given me a practical understanding of courtroom operations, evidentiary issues, and the realities faced by litigants and attorneys. As a judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, I would bring compassion, empathy, equity, and a deep respect for the law, with a commitment to listening carefully, managing cases efficiently, and treating every person with dignity and respect.
A Judge for the People
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Whom has he Represented?
I have lived in Alameda County, and Oakland specifically, my entire life. My practice, however, has never been defined by geography. What matters most is the people I have represented and the injustices I have worked to remedy.
In Alameda County, I have represented City of Oakland employees in discrimination and retaliation cases, as well as individuals harmed by serious institutional failures, including a woman injured by collapsing freeway fencing, a county employee retaliated against for reporting the improper disclosure of her medical information, a tenant injured by a negligent landlord, a man wrongfully imprisoned for two years, and a father who lost his wife and child in a fatal pedestrian collision.
My practice extends beyond county lines. I have represented victims of police violence, racial profiling, corporate negligence, and constitutional violations. Throughout my career, I have represented people, not institutions. That perspective is what I would bring to the Alameda County Superior Court.
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