15 FM-0034547 Imperial 13-A1 Imperial County Courthouse 2 Interior Finishes – replace doors and hardware for Dept 9 – fire/life/safety issue; door hardware is not functioning correctly and has to be locked from the outside with a key when the courtroom is not in use even when there are people working inside $16,000 No 100.00
16 FM-0034457 San Francisco 38-A1 Civic Center Courthouse 2 Fire Protection – Smoke Detectors, 400 Hundred, Cleaning Dust & Debris From Smoke Sensor Photo Head and Peak Value Clearing (Programming) $18,325 No 100.00 (peak value clearing amounts to resetting detectors – not programming but would you know that? Would the lady answering the phone in the call center know that?)
23 FM-0034469 Lake 17-B1 South Civic Center 2 Holding Cell – Install new toilet and sink combo – Per Title 24 Section 470A.3.1 all holding cells need to have a toilet in the cell – this cell has no toilet facilities available $25,000 No 100.00 (Turn it into a closet. They have a new courthouse under construction)
30 FM-0031628 Amador 03-C1 Begovich Building 2 Security – Replace (1) Exterior Security Door -Non Operational poses security risk. Main Street Entrance Door $35,000 Scope AOC’s share: 100.00
192 FM-0005203 Alameda 01-B3 Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse 3 DDC System – Training needed for new system $6,257 Scope 100.00 (Note: This is training for the contractor/operator)
254 FM-0025776 Alameda 01-H1 Fremont Hall of Justice 3 Compressor on Chiller #1 – Verify Meg Ohm Reading $10,300 No 79.40 (um, this is one with a meter an about 15 minutes of time)
These are just a few questionable charges off a large list of facilities modifications submitted by the facilities management unit. One theme that seems common and very, very expensive is emergency lighting battery packs. They don’t cost much – unless the AOC’s contractors replace the batteries. Then they seem to climb to a cost more than the emergency lighting itself.
These are all ‘easy money’ jobs for the maintenance companies where little is required, yet on each individual job they make really big money on them.
Like we did last Friday, we would urge all courts to get separate estimates for these and all other jobs on this list.
Wendy Darling
August 29, 2011
It just leaves a person speechless …
Long live the ACJ.
Courthouse Mouse
August 29, 2011
Dumbfounded came to mind for me. I could install a toilet for $100.
antonatrail
August 29, 2011
Of course no sane CA taxpayer would run their own household like this. Why are public funds considered a bonanza for some agencies? The mafia would be more circumspect.
Wendy Darling
August 29, 2011
Published today, Monday, August 29, from Courthouse News Service, by Maria Dinzeo:
SF Superior Rejects Bail Out Offer, IT Project Continues in Full Swing
By MARIA DINZEO
http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/08/29/39361.htm
Long live the ACJ.
Judicial Council Watcher
August 29, 2011
Reading between the lines of the article and news story, it seems the offer amounted to “you spend your current reserves and we’ll throw you a bone until the legislature increases our budget next year.” which is eerily reminiscent of the same advice they gave last year.
Wendy Darling
August 29, 2011
Apparently Judge Feinstein has heard of the phrase: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Long live the ACJ.
JusticeCalifornia
August 29, 2011
Wow, what an article.
Top leadership is thumbing its nose at all judges who criticized CCMS and court construction/maintenance right now. And the BSA. And the legislature. How much longer will all three branches let these out of control CJ/JC/AOC Southpark wannabes rule?
Top Leadership’s apparent motto: “I do what I want”.
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153246/i-do-what-i-want
It is amazing that top leadership’s arrogant thug-lowlife nonsense is allowed to continue on.
But the truth will out, and this trashy Southpark regime is going down. It is only a matter of how low the three branches will let this stupid cast of characters take the branch down before forcefully throwing the bums out.
Part of this outrageous behavior is designed to keep us all transfixed at the absolute hubris of it all. It’s like we are all watching Jersey Shores–or some housewives show– or a bad version of “Dallas”. Heck we even have a not-too-bright increasingly compromised gambling barmaid with a patently villianous bad-guy sidekick (Kim Turner) to entertain us.
Those opposing top leadership need to realize that others cannot and will not indefinitely continue to sacrifice themselves financially, professionally and emotionally, to fight what is primarily someone else’s fight. Ultimately, what is going down is waste of public funds effected by a small group of judges (the CJ and the JC) and a massive bunch of conniving, self-interested yes-man AOC bureaucrats. It is a judicial governance issue and judges everywhere (not just the ACJ) need to step up and clean house, because the gambling barmaid clearly ain’t doing it –she and her sidekicks are too busy partying with Bill and gambling with other people’s money and lives as RG’s empire building proceeds.
Bottom line. Judges need to clean their own house. If they cannot do it themselves, hire professionals.
antonatrail
August 29, 2011
I agree with everything you say. Their arrogance knows no bounds.
From “The Graduate.” “Plastics.” If ever they move on these thugs, law enforcement utilize plastic ties when they run low on handcuffs.
I’m dreaming of the day these pointy-heads are all seated at the curb of their plush offices wearing plastic-tie handcuffs …
Michael Paul
August 29, 2011
I could go through this list and pay my former salary for another forty years. Preliminary cost estimates should be based on real estimates and scopes of work to get the work accomplished. Something is fishy when item after item is given a round figure of 59,999.00 as an estimate. Anybody with any expertise in bid rigging will tell you nice round figures or comparative cost figures and estimates are items to be wary of.
Here is a document with thousands of them being presented to you.
Unbelievably brazen comes to mind.
Let me get the estimates for the same work and keep just 10% of the difference and I can live like a king.