Attorney to Challenge Judge Kline

A former Orange County deputy district attorney announced Friday that she plans to wage a write-in campaign against indicted Superior Court Judge Ronald Kline, who authorities say stored more than 100 images of child pornography on his home computer.

Gay Geiser-Sandoval, a small business lawyer and a judge pro tem for small claims and traffic court, hopes to unseat Kline in the March 5 election.

Kline, who is running unopposed, surrendered to authorities Nov. 9. The deadline has passed for candidates to register for the ballot.

Kline, through his lawyer, Paul Meyer, declined to comment on Geiser-Sandoval’s announcement.

Geiser-Sandoval said Friday that waging a write-in campaign was an uphill battle, but that Kline would be automatically elected to a six-year term unless she challenged him.

Geiser-Sandoval served in the district attorney’s office in the early 1980s, where she prosecuted child molestation cases and worked in the consumer protection and child support enforcement units.

Geiser-Sandoval had filed a notice of intent to run for the s seat being vacated by retiring Judge Michael Beecher. Geiser-Sandoval said she will abandon that contest to run against Kline. She must collect 100 signatures by Dec. 17.