Yolo Superior Court Presiding Judge Janet Gaard announced Friday that Judge Steven M. Basha has submitted his application to retire effective Jan. 23, 2018.
Basha has served 11-plus years on the Yolo Superior Court bench, initially handling adult criminal matters and, for the past nine years, overseeing juvenile dependency and delinquency matters.
In his letter informing Gaard of his retirement, Basha said he will miss working with his judicial colleagues and court staff, and especially his court clerks and his bailiffs. Basha also said he will miss the youths and their families who have been such a significant part of his life for the past nine years.
Though they were often in his courtroom during very emotional and difficult times, many would show extraordinary resilience and drive to take the necessary steps to make positive changes in their lives, the judge said.
For Basha, these youths, their families, the attorneys, CASAs, social workers, probation officers, foster parents and other community volunteers were daily reminders of the good that can come from treating everyone with courtesy and respect, he said.
Basha’s work as a juvenile court judge has been recognized throughout the state. He has given presentations at judicial conferences on juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency matters as well as on the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Basha also was a presenter on two instructional videos for judges throughout California, one on juvenile dependency issues and the other on juvenile delinquency out-of-home placement issues. In 2015, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye appointed Basha to serve on her Futures Commission for juvenile matters.
Basha was the presiding judge of the Yolo Superior Court from September 2012 to January 2015. In retirement, he plans to serve the Yolo County community as a volunteer at his church and through nonprofits and participate in the assigned judges program as a visiting judge.