The Hon. Maria L. Mendoza is a commissioner for the Monterey County Superior Court in California. She was appointed to the bench on June 24, 2019, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Christopher R. Martin.
Prior to her appointment, Mendoza was a staff attorney for the Self Help Center of the Monterey County Superior Court. As such, she assisted self-represented litigants in the court processes for family law, small claims, domestic violence, guardianship, and debt collection cases.
Before that, Mendoza sat as the directing attorney for California Rural Legal Assistance, where she was tasked with representing low-income families and migrant workers in employment, housing, education, and public benefits matters. She also spent several years working as an associate in a private defense law firm.
Mendoza earned a bachelor's degree in criminology, law and society from the University of California, Irvine. She then completed a J.D. at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.