Garbolino to leave spotlight to mayor wife

Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of stories profiling Placer County Superior Court judges retiring after 20 or more years on the bench. Previous stories ran Dec. 22, 26 and 28.ROSEVILLE - Placer County Superior Court Judge James Garbolino, who is known worldwide for his expertise in the field of international child abduction law, will step down from the bench after 20 years of service.Fear not for the judge, he will have plenty to do as the husband of Roseville Mayor Gina Garbolino."I'll be keeping the home fires burning for the mayor," Garbolino said last week from his nearly empty office. "We are willingly having a role reversal. She deserves it."He said when he began his career in law, he kept his eye on the prize -a judgeship."As a young lawyer I tried to conduct myself in such a manner that would not impede me to getting on the bench," he said. "The stars aligned just right."After completing his law degree in 1966 at the University San Francisco, the 61-year-old Roseville native worked as deputy attorney general in the Criminal Division for the Office of the California attorney general. That was in 1970. In the years since he has worked for Gov. Ronald Reagan, been a special prosecutor for Placer County criminal grand jury and had his own private legal practice.He was appointed Superior Court Judge in Placer County in 1984 by then Gov. George Deukmejan.He has received numerous accolades and awards throughout his career and written four books, most notably a guide to handling Hague Convention Cases."I had the first case on the West Coast," he said. "(Eventually) I became a person the State Department used as a negotiator."As it pertains to child custody, the Hague Convention could be applied to secure the prompt return of children wrongfully removed across an international border without the consent of a parent who has custody rights.Some who have worked with the judge admire his work ethics."He's awesome," said Tami Hinds, who has clerked for Garbolino for the past year-and-a-half. "He has always been very respectful of his staff, giving credit where credit is due."Garbolino's family settled in Roseville nearly a century ago in 1906. His San Francisco roots - from his college days - are still evident, mainly in the fact that he is still a 49er football fan."Garbo" to his fellow judges, has been married for 38 years. He and Gina have raised two children who now have children of their own. The family boasts four grandchildren ranging in age from two to eight and the pianist in Garbolino, who tickles the ivory of a 6-foot Grand Steinway, would like to instill his love of music in his grandchildren."It's important for me to have an influence on them," he said. "They need to appreciate music."As long as their grandfather isn't traveling the globe lecturing on the Hague Convention, perhaps he could be persuaded to sit down for a duet of Heart and Soul.The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com.