Before he was elected to the bench in January 2021, Almada prosecuted misdemeanor trials and appeals in the city of Long Beach, in 2007. Three years later, he worked as deputy district attorney in Santa Barbara; in 2013, he started prosecuting crimes in Los Angeles County for 8 years. Nowadays, “Putting on the robe and taking the bench and realizing ‘Wow, I’m the judge,’” he said, laughing. “It’s a very humbling experience.”