Maria G. Diaz splits her time as an attorney between Los Angeles and Fresno but considers the Central Valley home.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Diaz, 55, to the Fresno County Superior Court bench.

“I really believe in equal access to justice and diversity on the bench. And I think it’s important that the bench reflect the population of the communities they serve. And I know that Latinas and Latinos are really underrepresented on the bench. And so I wanted to help in terms of an access to justice issue,” Diaz told GV Wire about her motivations to apply for a judgeship.

When given the green light by Newsom’s office, Diaz shared the news with family and friends. Her husband, Christopher Bencomo, is a Fresno doctor.

“It was just not just my success, but their success,” Diaz said.

Although the governor’s news release listed her from Los Angeles, she is registered to vote in Fresno. While the law does not require a judge to live in the county in which he or she presides, it is an unusual, but not unprecedented move.

From Calexico to Civil Rights Law

Diaz grew up in Calexico, along the Mexican border.

“It’s also a big agricultural community like Fresno. And I became interested in the law early on and wanted to help people. And I figured out that the law was a very powerful vehicle for social change,” Diaz said.

The similarity of her hometown and Fresno is one of the reasons she applied to be on the Fresno bench.

She attended her undergraduate and law school at Stanford, with a stop at the Harvard Kennedy School in between.

“Making a difference in people’s lives is important to me,” Diaz said of her civil rights focus.

Her experience will make her a very empathetic judge, she said.

“I also think it’s important to respect everyone’s human dignity, even when you have to make difficult decisions such as potentially incarceration. I think hopefully it will be an asset,” Diaz said.

Diaz, a registered Democrat, replaces Timothy Kams, who retired in May 2023. She is up for re-election in 2026.

A judge’s salary is $244,727.

Fresno County now only has one vacancy for its 47 judgeships. Judge Adolfo Corona retired in April. He currently faces criminal sexual assault charges, and returns to court Jan. 9.

Newsom has now picked 15 judges to the Fresno County Superior Court bench.

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Worked With Gloria Allred

Diaz was “of counsel” for Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, as in Gloria Allred — meaning she was affiliated, but didn’t work there full time.

“It was a great experience. The Allred Firm gave me much independence and wonderful opportunities to help the workers of California,” Diaz said.

Diaz also has her own practice, the Diaz Canon Law Firm, with offices in Beverly Hills and Fresno.

She has homes in both Fresno and west Los Angeles, but plans to move to Fresno permanently

“I consider home both, actually. But I my heart is in Fresno, and that’s why I start a judicial appointment there,” Diaz said.