Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye meeting with members of the press at her chambers in San Francisco on Dec. 11.

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Wednesday she expects to run for retention when her current 12-year term is up in 2022.

Talking to reporters at an annual gathering in San Francisco, Cantil-Sakauye called her post as chief justice "the greatest job" and said "I don't know where you go from this."

"I'm excited by what good we can do," Cantil-Sakauye said. "I'm excited by whatever the next budget brings and whatever programs we get to introduce because I think we're being proactive and creative."

As she approaches her 10th year as the leader of California's judiciary, Cantil-Sakauye finds herself on firmer political and fiscal ground than she did when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her in 2010.

The great recession has given way to state budgets with soaring revenues and hundreds of millions of additional dollars for courts and new judges. Critics within the judiciary who questioned her effectiveness have largely quieted. And the chief justice now has a full slate of colleagues to work with on the Supreme Court after Gov. Jerry Brown filled a two-year vacancy in 2018.

Cantil-Sakauye made headlines last year when she switched her political party registration from Republican to no party preference, citing the politicization of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings. She also acknowledged being asked to run for governor in 2018, something she later described as "a surprise" and "fantasy."

There was no talk of future political aspirations Wednesday, as Cantil-Sakauye said she has a good relationship with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

"He's available and he's open," she said. "And he's very open to explanations by the judiciary and seeking information. Plus with his cadre of lawyers that advise him, it's just nice to have people who understand the judiciary and understand the role of lawyers and judges to help us."

As she faces her own retention campaign on the horizon, Cantil-Sakauye expressed support for California's system of judicial elections, including recalls.

"No system is perfect and that's probably the fundamental starting point," the chief justice said. "But yet I also think it's important that judges be accountable to voters."

Cantil-Sakauye said she supports longer terms for judges, such as the 12-year tenures for appellate justices.

"Ultimately I think that periodic review of a judge before the public doesn't do any harm," she said. "We have seen in other states where … that can be concerning but I also think there are avenues of education and relationships with lawyers and judges [having] a better relationship with their public. I hope we're able to confront those issues rather than insulating judges entirely from voters' review."

Last year, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky was recalled for what critics said was the lenient sentence he imposed on a Stanford University student convicted of sexual assault. Four San Francisco judges were challenged, too, because they were appointed by a Republican governor. Those judges were retained.

Cantil-Sakauye described recalls as "a powerful tool."

"And I think the question we have to ask ourselves is, are we willing to take it away. I don't think we are. And that's a debate that should be had outside the judiciary in a more public setting like the Legislature, where people can weigh in. I think it's the people's right to do that."

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