Kendra Weber

Introduction

Kendra Weber, a judge on the Kings County Superior Court in California, was charged on September 15, 2026, with one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence in connection with the death of a bicyclist. California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the charge, which the California Department of Justice filed after what the office described as a thorough investigation. According to the complaint, in September 2025 Weber, while driving a vehicle, allegedly fatally struck Bryan Leroy Garcia, a 63-year-old man riding a bicycle near Hanford. The charge, filed under Penal Code section 192, subdivision (c)(2), is a misdemeanor rather than a felony, and it is a charge — not a conviction. As the attorney general’s own release put it: “Every defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.”

Background Information

Weber reached the bench through a career spent almost entirely in Kings County’s legal system. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to the Kings County Superior Court in 2023. Before that, she served as an administrative law judge at the California Board of Parole Hearings, worked as an attorney for Kings County Child Support Services, prosecuted cases as a deputy district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and practiced as an associate at the Sawl Law Group.

The collision at the center of the case happened on September 15, 2025, at Hanford Armona Road and 16th Avenue, near Hanford. The California Highway Patrol said a car — now known to have been driven by Weber — collided with a bicycle ridden by Garcia, who was rear-ended and ejected from the bike. He was not wearing a helmet and died. Officers said Weber stayed on scene following the crash.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. Weber faces a criminal charge, not a conviction. The complaint alleges that in September 2025 she, while driving a vehicle, fatally struck a bicyclist, and that she was driving “a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act” — but it does not elaborate on what that unlawful act was. As the California Department of Justice stated: “It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.”

The case became public on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, when Bonta announced that the California Department of Justice had charged Weber with one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, a violation of Penal Code section 192, subdivision (c)(2). The complaint was filed in Kings County Superior Court the day before, on Monday.

The charging documents are notably spare. The complaint alleges that Weber committed vehicular manslaughter, killing Garcia, and that she was driving a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act, but neither the complaint nor the department’s news release identifies what that unlawful act was or describes the circumstances of the crash, and the attorney general’s office declined to provide further information. The Los Angeles Times observed that the release and complaint “provided no details about the location or circumstances of the accident”, leaving much of what is publicly known to rest on the CHP’s earlier collision reporting.

The charge came nearly a year to the day after the crash itself — Garcia was struck on September 15, 2025, and the charge was announced on September 15, 2026, a gap explained in part by the investigation the Department of Justice conducted before filing.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The announcement drew immediate attention across California precisely because of who the defendant is: a sitting superior court judge, charged by the state’s own Department of Justice rather than a local prosecutor’s office. The Los Angeles Times, the San Joaquin Valley Sun, and ABC30 all led with the unusual pairing of a Newsom-appointed jurist and a misdemeanor manslaughter complaint, and ABC30 described the case as a developing story it would continue to follow.

For Garcia’s family and the Hanford cycling community, the filing arrived almost twelve months after the crash, with little public detail about how the collision unfolded. The reporting underscored basic, sobering facts: Garcia was 63, riding a bicycle at the intersection of Hanford Armona Road and 16th Avenue, was not wearing a helmet, and died after being rear-ended and thrown from the bike.

No public statement from Weber or an attorney for her appears in the available reporting, and the attorney general’s office declined requests for additional detail beyond the complaint itself.

Current Status

As of September 15, 2026, the misdemeanor case against Weber is pending in the Kings County Superior Court. The complaint has been filed, but the available sources report no arraignment date, no plea, and no trial schedule — only that the charge was filed on a Monday and announced the following day.

Nothing in the public record as of the announcement indicates a conviction or an admission of liability, and the attorney general’s office has emphasized that the charge is an allegation only. Weber is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless or until she is proven guilty.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Weber’s position as a Kings County Superior Court judge now sits alongside an open criminal case, a rare posture for any sitting jurist. As of September 15, 2026, the available sources report no suspension, reassignment, or disciplinary action against her, and any formal consequences for her judgeship would depend on the outcome of the pending charge — which has not been adjudicated.

For Bryan Leroy Garcia, the stakes were settled on September 15, 2025: he was riding a bicycle near Hanford when he was struck and killed at 63. The year that followed — a CHP investigation, a Department of Justice review, and finally a misdemeanor complaint — produced the closest thing the case has yet offered to a public accounting, with the legal questions now left to the Kings County Superior Court.