Robert S. Tafoya spent nearly two decades on the bench as a Kern County Superior Court judge, much of it serving residents in Delano and surrounding rural communities.
Though he retired in 2021, Tafoya said his commitment to public service did not end when he left the courthouse.
Tafoya served as a Superior Court judge for more than 18 years after being appointed by then-Gov. Gray Davis in 2002. Before that, he practiced law for 24 years and began his professional career as a high school teacher in Sacramento…