.
For the past couple of days JCW has been exchanging e-mail with one of our long time readers that doesn’t post. That reader who wishes to remain anonymous outlined a challenge that we all take for granted.
One of the big messages that the Judicial Council and AOC is promoting amongst legislators is more funding for the judicial branch. While that is a laudable goal and more funding is required to stave off layoffs, to catch up on filing backlogs that in some court cases are over a year old and to support our courtrooms statewide, what we universally don’t wish to see happen is the judicial council and AOC skim off tens of millions for their largesse and misguided boondoggles. They too should be funded directly by the legislature only after those with boots on the ground serving the public directly are fully funded.
If the trial court bill of financial rights or AB1208 were in effect today, we could have some degree of confidence that lobbying performed by the AOC in the legislature would be for funding local court operations.
Today that isn’t the case.
In the last judicial council meeting the council has determined already how it will spend the 50 million extra in judicial branch funding specified in Governor Brown’s proposed budget because they’re drawing up deployment plans for vaporware. Mind you that the funding might go towards deploying a single instance of CCMS V4 to some unwitting court that never had a computerized case management system and therefore doesn’t know any better. However, most of the money will be earmarked for further CCMS development because the program won’t be able to function in any court without it.
Some of the principal arguments of speak with one voice and attempting to rally all for more court funding is the misguided belief , as the council and AOC expresses is that if we don’t all speak with one voice about court funding that the legislature will take away funds from the trial courts and to a lesser degree, the judicial council and the AOC.
They argue that if we don’t overlook the problems at the AOC and give the chief justice more time (we’re now going on 14 months of window dressing and inaction) that the whole branch will continue to suffer.
We argue that the funding cuts were because of the AOC and Judicial Council inaction in overseeing their administrative offices and that this will be the reason to justify further budget cuts.
In doing nothing with regards to holding people responsible for things like embezzlement, the hiring of unlicensed contractors, some of the worlds most expensive public buildings being built while others are forced to shut down and multi-billion dollar cost overruns on software boondoggles, they demonstrate that they are a poor steward of public funds. However, it has NOT been the Judicial Council or the AOC that has had to pay for this mismanagement. It has been the trial courts that have paid dearly for this mismanagement and lack of oversight.
While the JC/AOC advocate speak with one voice, our long time reader suggested that we all make it perfectly clear to everyone that the AOC doesn’t represent me via a campaign of the same name.
Now, we can’t run campaigns like this where it was suggested that we do something like print buttons, flyers and T-Shirts with The AOC doesn’t represent me emblazoned on them nor do we know if court employees can even wear buttons or shirts or make available flyers at their front counters for such a campaign but it is logical that we would wish to distance ourselves from such reprehensible behavior in any way possible.
Why would I as a taxpaying citizen wish to fund an agency that demonstrates a marked lack of accountability and fails to hold people responsible for mismanagement? Why should the legislature fund these boondoggles either? Assemblymember Calderon was entirely correct when he indicated that the JC/AOC had 70 million dollars to use to keep the courts open but instead, they chose to use the money for their pet projects, to force layoffs and the curtailment of services to the public and to close the courts to create unwarranted political pressure.
In our minds, AB1208 is in part an attempt at disassociation from the AOC for the benefit of the trial courts. It is not the AOC that suffers when 650 million in cuts is foisted upon them when the legislature also offers 150 million in mitigation that the JC/AOC can undertake to preserve access to justice in local courts – and the council pushes those cuts down to the trial courts anyways. When the council only offers part of the mitigating funding and then only offers emergency loans when courts like San Francisco and San Joaquin virtually beg for it when a solution was available all along is fundamentally corrupt.
Our reader suggests that trial courts and their employees distancing themselves from the AOC would be the best course of action and education regarding the real issues regardless of whether or not AB1208 passes.
Under the circumstances, speak with one voice just makes it all seem like a larger conspiracy than it really is.
Is that the image that we wish to portray to the public and our legislators and face further budget cuts or do we want to clean house and chart a new course for the benefit of all?
Feel free to respond to the thread or drop our friends in the judicial council a public comment email @ judicialcouncil@jud.ca.gov
Related articles
- AOC’s Curtis Child – We need to be throwing elbows at legislators (Further reason for distancing yourself from the AOC)
- The Need to Treat the Legislature with Respect & commentary from JCW (judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com)
- The Rosenberg rebuttal – By Judge Robert Dukes (judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com)
- Chutzpah. Time to make that change. (judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com)
- Judge Rosenberg takes the point and is picked off.. (judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com)
- ab1208 in the news, editorial says CCMS is stuck (judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com)
- Judges need to speak out (judicialcouncilwatcher.wordpress.com)
Mrs. Kramer
February 6, 2012
That is P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!!! Says it all and it even rhymes.
“The AOC doesn’t represent me”
Judicial Council Watcher
February 6, 2012
Thanks to a generous (and unexpected) donation to JCW we were able to enlarge our fonts and eliminate advertising for your reading pleasure.
antonatrail
February 6, 2012
Nice clear and clean font, JCW. Thanks. And I’m grateful to the generous donor too.
Wendy Darling
February 6, 2012
Published today, Monday, February 6, from Courthouse News Service, by Maria Dinzeo:
Court Reform Bill Has Hard Road
By MARIA DINZEO
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – After narrowly passing California’s Assembly, a bill intended to give more money to local trial courts and reduce the power of a big court bureaucracy is headed for a tough fight in the Senate.
The bill is opposed by California’s chief justice and her allies control key positions in the Senate. But the author of AB 1208 predicts the same degree of difficulty as he had in winning a majority in the Assembly.
“Members of the Senate are not pleased with the Judicial Council and the AOC and how they’re managing their money,” said Assembly Majority Leader Charles Calderon, a Democrat from Montebello.
His bill would reverse the centralization of budget and policy power in a bureaucracy pushed by the former chief justice, Ron George. In addition to the current chief justice, the powerful court bureaucracy under her command also opposes a bill that would reduce their control over the great purse represented by California’s court budget.
On other hand, the bill is supported by a majority of trial judges, according to poll taken last year.
Read the entire article: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/06/43674.htm
The AOC doesn’t represent me. And long live the ACJ.
Underground
February 7, 2012
What did I tell you? Maria is our one woman media machine! You go girl.
Judicial Council Watcher
February 6, 2012
“Every time an issue comes up they form a committee,” said Calderon. “Committees are worth their weight in committees. It is results that count. No reforms have been implemented. There’s been no restructuring, no one’s been fired. I don’t see any deeds worth noting.”
That sums up our position.
unionman575
February 6, 2012
I’m grateful to the generous donor too.
elmy Kader
February 6, 2012
Wendy, thank you for the info, we really need to get serious time is flying by.
These junkies the members of (JC& AOC) who are addicted to power developing their own strategy and premeditating their next lie without any regard to the harm they inflecting on our beloved America. We must isolate them and disqualify them one by one based on undisputed evidence, NO HEARSAY. I will begin in my next post and i hope others will follow..
My best regard and loyalty to the true proud Americans, the honorable Alliance of California Judges
antonatrail
February 6, 2012
As said by someone whose shoes I could never hope to fill, Tani is no Felix Frankfurter.
Wendy Darling
February 6, 2012
In the role of the chief administrator of the judicial branch, the current Chief Justice ranks among the worst, right up there with Rose Bird, and she’s done it in a fraction of the time.
Long live the ACJ.
sharonkramer
February 6, 2012
I would love to have a tee shirt with the CCMS Titanic picture and “the AOC doesn’t represent me” written on it.
Underground
February 7, 2012
Maybe Court House News Service will bring the picture back.
unionman575
February 7, 2012
The PR machine is cranking up again…get me a bucket…
http://www.courts.ca.gov/16776.htm
A Year in Review: Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye
News Timeline
Contact: courtnews@jud.ca.gov, 415-865-4546
Jan 31, 2012
Been There
February 7, 2012
Charming. How much did this PR piece cost? Transition? Some in terms of personnel. Transformation? Looks like the same programs and policies to me.
Wendy Darling
February 7, 2012
It’s interesting that, among other omissions, this manufactured PR piece states “AOC Director Announces Retirement” but neglects to mention that this “announcement” came hot on the heels of a letter from the State Legislature stating that he should be fired for gross mismanagment; neglects to mention any of the detrimential findings of the audit of CCMS and the failed management of the AOC , and also neglects to mention that while the Council opposed AB 1208 in December, the State Assembly voted in favor of AB 1208 the next month.
Apparently, “transition” and “transformation” are the new word colorations for dishonesty and deceit.
Long live the ACJ.
unionman575
February 7, 2012
The AOC does not represent me…
If the AOC builds new courthouses, the trial courts will staff then with who? We are looking at ongoing massive layoffs and reduced line operations in every trial court throughout CA this year and next year.
So much for a slowdown on construction see below for 2 more examples.
New Banning Justice Center Breaks Ground:
http://www.courts.ca.gov/16888.htm
North Tahoe Courthouse Project to Be Discussed :
http://www.courts.ca.gov/16880.htm
Mrs. Kramer
February 7, 2012
Maybe they think they are going to have walk up windows where you scan in your briefs. Decisions are then instantly made by AOC personnel via the automated system of CCMS V-5.
Insert $40 to have your brief accepted. Insert $5000 for a guranteed outcome in your favor.
unionman575
February 7, 2012
Sharon…a guaranteed result costs at least 10K these days (inflation).
You don’t want Tonto to starve do you?
P.S. I heard Tonto might be sporting a nice new tee shirt.
unionman575
February 7, 2012
Been There that cost bucks, lots of trial court operating bucks. The Death Star keeps on killing us with one costly boondoggle after another.
Been There
February 7, 2012
Unionman, once again you are correct. I think the underlying “message” behind transition and transformation is to further the illusion that Tani is new, working hard, and needs more time to complete — whatever, which everyone knows is going to look the same as if George had not retired.
Death Star is the House that George Built, and for reasons that defy reason, Tani is the keeper of the flame.
lando
February 7, 2012
Its all crumbling down . The house of cards at the crystal palace is in disarray. Please check out the CJ’s comments about 1208 on YouTube. What is incredible is that the AOC spin machine actually put this out. Rumor has it at this same meeting, the CJ ripped into the Speaker and other legislators who supported 1208. That part got left out of the the AOC’s “spin” version .
Mrs. Kramer
February 8, 2012
Unionman,
AOC’s spin on CCMS
unionman575
February 8, 2012
That’s a “10”.
elmy Kader
February 8, 2012
Mrs. Kramer,
you are great, always eloquent in your post, thus I hereby nominate you for the semi final of America got talent
Mrs. Kramer
February 8, 2012
That you Elmy and Unionman. But its not just me. There are THOUSANDS of people out here who understand that the AOC trying to pretend they represent you are me while aiding control of the money to stay in the hands of the ethcially challenged – are harming us all in many ways. http://wp.me/plYPz-3is
unionman575
February 9, 2012
Money = power. We have to return money to trial courts.
Let the central bureaucracy starve for funds – they are crooks and they deserve less $ over at the Death Star.