ELECTION DAY
June 2, 2026
Our Practice Areas
ABOUT CABRAL BONNER
For the past 20 years, I have been a civil rights, trial attorney.—A superior court judge, who must preside over civil and criminal trials, should have experience as a trial lawyer.—I am a partner in the law firm of Bonner & Bonner with my Dad, Charles Bonner, having earned my undergraduate and law school degrees from Stanford University. I am a member of both the Charles Houston Bar Association and the National Bar Association.
During all the years of my practice, I have had the distinct privilege of representing countless Alameda County residents in court. I represent people—not, like my opponent, corporations, and not the government or insurance companies—people for whom I have sought and secured justice. I work on a wide range of civil cases, including those involving police excessive force and false arrest, employment discrimination, hostile work environments, whistleblower retaliation, mass torts, elder abuse, medical malpractice, mass shootings and personal injury.
I was raised in Oakland by a father who rose up from cotton picking in a share-cropping family in rural Alabama and a mother who became a physician—and named for the great African leader Amílcar Cabral. And, I have lived in Oakland all my life. My wife and I have raised and educated our children here, too. My first professional experience, as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the Oakland Public Schools, was pivotal. Working alongside Oakland teachers, students and families inspired me to focus my entire career on supporting and strengthening our community.
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 toward fair and lasting outcomes. I am a mediator on the Alameda Superior Court and Northern District Alternative Dispute Resolution panels. In addition, I volunteer for the courts as a Judge Pro Tem.
Cabral Bonner with his daughters, Issa and Caia
Cabral Bonner with daughters, Issa & Caia, and his wife, Rosie
As an Alameda County Superior Court Judge, I will bring this broad and deep experience to the bench with compassion, empathy, equity and full respect for the law.
Too often, people do not recognize the law’s impact until they find themselves in a courtroom. A judge can make that moment confusing and intimidating—or fair, understandable, and dignified. As a judge, my first priority would be the fair and efficient resolution of every matter before the court. I would actively encourage mediation and work to create meaningful opportunities for litigants to resolve disputes short of trial whenever appropriate.
While I grew up around the legal profession, becoming an attorney was not an automatic or predetermined path for me. Instead, my career has been shaped by service, a desire to contribute meaningfully to my community. Indeed, I earned my undergraduate degree in Human Biology, with an academic focus on elementary and middle school science education. I spent summers teaching chemistry to middle school students through the Summerbridge program. After college, I served for two years as an AmeriCorps member with Partners in School Innovation, working at Hawthorne Elementary School, then the largest elementary school in Oakland. Following AmeriCorps, I continued working with schools and nonprofit organizations, providing technology and database support through a firm that served mission-driven clients. One such client was the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, where I worked alongside advocates dedicated to social justice and community empowerment. It was during this period that I realized I wanted to contribute more directly by becoming a lawyer, someone who could be an advocate for justice, analyze and help resolve disputes within the legal system itself.
During law school, I returned to the Ella Baker Center as a legal intern. I worked throughout California organizing parents of incarcerated youth and advocating for improved conditions in juvenile detention facilities. Also, I gained my first hands-on experience representing clients through the Stanford Community Law Clinic, assisting individuals with employment and housing problems. After graduating from law school, I joined my father’s practice.
Here in Oakland, I have represented Elaine Brown in a civil action against the City of Oakland and a councilmember. Ms. Brown, the former chair of the Black Panther Party, is an author, artist and lifelong advocate for justice. She played a central role in bringing affordable housing to West Oakland by developing the Black Panther Apartments. Representing her was both a professional responsibility and a profound privilege. I have also represented numerous City of Oakland employees in discrimination and retaliation cases.
The breadth of clients I have successfully represented include:
- A woman who was seriously injured when defective fencing collapsed onto Interstate 880, triggering major traffic accidents.
- A county employee who faced retaliation after reporting that her confidential medical information had been improperly shared.
- A tenant injured by a negligent landlord.
- A man falsely arrested and imprisoned for two years for a crime he did not commit.
- A father who lost his wife and child after they were struck and killed while crossing the street.
Although much of my work has taken place in Alameda County, my practice has extended well beyond county lines, including representation of :
- A journalist who was assaulted by police officers in Sausalito.
- Store owners in Tiburon subjected to racial profiling.
- Thousands of suffering Richmond residents following the Chevron refinery fire, when corporate decisions put community safety at risk.
- A social worker in San Bernardino who was fired after exposing systemic failures that placed children in the home of a known abuser.
- Children who were sexually assaulted by teachers.
- Police officers who faced retaliation for reporting discrimination within
their departments. - Mothers whose infants were injured by medical negligence.
- Tenants harmed by unsafe housing conditions.
- Nurses and doctors retaliated against for advocating for patient safety.
- In New York, I represented a man who was beaten by police officers in his own front yard after calling for assistance.
- In Washington, D.C., I represented a government employee who was terminated for refusing to surrender her constitutional rights.
- I currently represent individuals in New York who were falsely arrested and prosecuted in violation of the United States Constitution.
- And, currently, I represent victims of the Buffalo Tops Market shooting in New York, and am working toward a resolution against the manufacturer of the firearm used in that tragedy.
Throughout my career, I have represented people—not Fortune 100 corporations, like AT&T and Warner Media, for whom my opponent has spent many years representing – as Assistant VP and Senior Counsel. I do not represent certain special interest groups like the various police associations that endorse and fund my opponent.
This is why I ask for your vote. My practice shows I will be a judge for all the people!
Bonner & Bonner
ENDORSEMENTS
CABRAL BONNER for Judge
- 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)
- Joseph Cotchett, Esq. (Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP)
- Khaldoun Baghdadi, Esq. (Walkup Melodia Kelly & Schoenberger)
- Hon. Lynn Duryee, (Ret.) (Marin County Superior Court)
- Anne Marie Murphy, Esq. (Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP)
- Sara Peters, Esq. (Walkup Melodia)
- Ernest Warren, Jr. Esq (Warren and Sugarman)
- Geoff Yost, Esq.
- David Marroso ,Esq.
- Madhu Pocha, Esq.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Specialist
John Doe
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What Our Clients Say
John Doe
Mark Brinson
Felix Mercer
LATEST NEWS
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PRICING PLANS
Family Law
Criminal Law
Sexual Abuse
Dr. Mark Alexander
National Secretary,
100 Black Men of America
Elaine Brown
Former Black Panther Party leader; CEO, Oakland & the World Enterprises, nonprofit
developer/owner of affordable
housing project
Hon. Mark Fickes
Judge, Alameda County
Superior Court
Hon. Elizabeth L. Riles
Judge, Alameda County
Superior Court
Howard Moore, Jr.
Civil Rights Attorney;
Lead Counsel,
Angela Davis Trial
Eva Patterson
Civil Rights Attorney and
Activist; Co-founder and
President of the Equal
Justice Society
David L. Newton
Treasurer, Longshoremen
Local 10 (ILWU/BALMA);
Nephew of Huey P. Newton
Lenore Anderson
Author of: In Their Names:
The Untold Story of Victims’
Rights, Mass Incarceration,
and the Future of Public Safety
Hon. Han Tran
Judge, Alameda County
Superior Court
Hon. Lynn Duryee
Judge, Marin County
Superior Court (Ret.)
Walter Riley
Civil Rights Attorney and
Activist; Board member, Coalition
for Police Accountability
Hon. Victor Aguilar, Jr.
San Leandro City Councilmember
Charles A. Bonner
Civil Rights Trial Attorney
Sara Peters, Esq.
Attorney
Khaldoun Baghdadi, Esq.
Attorney
Wanda Johnson
Mother of Oscar Grant;
CEO, Oscar Grant Foundation
Joseph Cotchett
Civil Rights Trial Attorney
Anne Marie Murphy, Esq.
Attorney
Hon. Paul Herbert
Judge, Alameda County
Superior Court (Ret.)
Madhu Pocha, Esq
Attorney
David Marroso, Esq.
Attorney
Ernest Warren, Jr., Esq.
Attorney
Kimberly Bryant
Founder, Black Girls Code
Geoff Yost, Esq.
Attorney
WAYS TO SUPPORT
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