Commission on Judicial Performance. (Photo: Cheryl Miller/ALM)

A Ventura county judge accused of making crude and demeaning comments to lawyers and court employees has been censured under an agreement reached with state judicial disciplinarians.

Judge Jeffrey Bennett of the Ventura County Superior Court acknowledged he acted inappropriately in 28 instances over eight years, according to a decision and order released Wednesday by the Commission on Judicial Performance.

"Judges are … expected to display appropriate demeanor and decorum, and not to use crass or sexist words and imagery, as Judge Bennett has done," the commission said. "For example, Judge Bennett's references to his 'balls' and his 'ass' diminish the dignity of his office. His gratuitous comments about 'chicks' liking a car, and to not spending so much time with his telescope if he had a '20-year-old smoking hot wife,' are sexist and unseemly. His use of profanity, such as 'fucking' and 'shit,' degrades the decorum of the court and reflects negatively on the judiciary."

A censure, the most severe punishment that can be leveled short of removal from office, will allow Bennett to continue serving on the Ventura County bench. Commissioners took Bennett's acknowledgement of almost every charge against him as a significant mitigating factor in determining his punishment, the order said.

Bennett's attorneys at Klinedinst—Heather Rosing, Dan Agle and Irean Zhang—have described the former police officer as a "straightforward and honest" man with a "refreshing 'tell it like it is' approach to life" and sense of humor.

"Judge Bennett has accepted this censure, taken full responsibility for his conduct, and is committed to improving as a judicial officer," the attorneys said in a statement Wednesday. "He has always acted in the best interest of the Ventura County Superior Court and is looking forward to continuing to serve the public and the administration of justice."

Elected in 2008, Bennett was portrayed in charging documents as a judge with a penchant for berating prosecutors and making unprofessional remarks.

Bennett warned an African American defendant to stop "shucking and jiving" and told two attorneys in his chambers about his "smoking hot 10″ dental hygienist whom he would let "do whatever she wanted" to him, the commission said.

In 2015, Bennett told a deputy district attorney that his position in a criminal case was "chicken shit" and that he wouldn't tolerate the DA bringing such charges when he took over the court's master calendar department, the complaint said.

At various times, Bennett openly criticized other judges in the courthouse for "playing along with the prosecutors' games,"and said he was "sick" of being "bad mouthed" by attorneys in the district attorney's office "in the newspapers and otherwise," the commission said.

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