Yesterday we heard that Los Angeles, the largest municipal court system in the world will shutter all courtrooms in 10 courthouses. While the press releases and news articles are unclear about how many jobs will be erased, people are telling us numbers that extend from somewhere short of 300 to 800 or more jobs in the most aggressive reorganization in the courts history.
The AOC could learn something from the courts about reorgs. Reorgs are not a time to add management and supervisory positions and hand out fat raises while expanding your operations. We don’t comprehend how courts from across the state could permit this travesty to be perpetuated upon them by the highest level of the judiciary while they’re forced to curtail their own operations. Surely pressures such as those that San Joaquin or Los Angeles Courts must be bubbling over into the legislature but we have yet to hear any of the courts call the spade a spade and cry foul on the AOC’s phantom reorg, better known as rearranging the deck chairs.
Of course the JC wishes to “speak with one voice” about “branch funding” because they want their nearly 17% cut of those funds. But it is the courts that are dying while the AOC builds even more courthouses. Worse, we have a judicial needs assessment that is conducted by the AOC that indicates we need hundreds more new judgeships but doesn’t mention a word about the hundreds of judges that, because they have no staff, cannot run in a courtroom today.
All of this speaks to the need to democratize the judicial council and permit the courts to have a say in their futures. It also speaks to the need for legislators to step up to the plate and recognize that a committee of persons appointed by one that only meets six to eight times a year is incapable of sound governance and fund the trial courts and the AOC directly, not “branch funding” doled out by the same people who have been mismanaging branch funds for years.
LA Observer
November 15, 2012
CJ George and AOC Director Vickrey said many times they wanted to break the L.A. Superior Court. It was too big and stood in their way of accomplishing total centralization of power over the entire judicial branch. It took them over a decade, but it looks like they finally have broken this once great and independent court. They had to take the entire system with them, but now we know what their ill conceived concept of centralized control looks like. What a legacy!
Many of us remember former L.A. PJ Tim McCoy and his foresight in predicting this disaster. Sad few in power listened to him — even calling him Chicken Little, but we do have new courthouses being built and jobs provided to the construction trades to be thankful for.
disgusted
November 15, 2012
Really?
From the LAO’s web site (http://lao.ca.gov/laoapp/PubDetails.aspx?id=2668):
The 2013-14 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook
November 14, 2012
The 18th annual edition of the LAO’s Fiscal Outlook–a forecast of the state’s budget condition over the next five years–shows that California’s budget situation has improved sharply. The state’s economic recovery, prior budget cuts, and the additional, temporary taxes provided by Proposition 30 have combined to bring California to a promising moment: the possible end of a decade of acute state budget challenges. Our economic and budgetary forecast indicates that California’s leaders face a dramatically smaller budget problem in 2013-14 compared to recent years. Furthermore, assuming steady economic growth and restraint in augmenting current program funding levels, there is a strong possibility of multibillion-dollar operating surpluses within a few years.
Judicial Council Watcher
November 15, 2012
My crystal ball says something different than LAO. There remains an un-addressed matter of 485 billion in unfunded public pension liabilities and runaway retiree healthcare costs. Consider this: Calpers pays one premium price for healthcare regardless of an employees age. Age 18 or age 95, the premium cost is the same. As advances in medical technique extend life expectancy, this is all putting huge strains on budgets and this remains the elephant in the room. Or consider this:the judicial branch had its budget cut by 1/3. Restoring just those cuts would completely erase any projected surplus by LAO.
unionman575
November 21, 2012
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/11/21/trial-rewind-lunch-judge-lance-ito
County budget cuts that went into effect last July closed 55 courtrooms, including Ito’s. There are still hundreds of courtrooms operating in the county’s 48 courthouses but, in a county the size of Los Angeles — with nearly 3 million cases filed each year — it’s hard to imagine how the remaining courts can absorb the work. More budget cuts to Los Angeles courts are expected early next year.
unionman575
November 23, 2012
http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22049699/more-fallout-expected-from-l-county-court-cuts
More fallout expected from L.A. County court cuts
Lori Fowler, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/22/2012 04:23:09 PM PST
The Los Angeles Superior Court recently announced plans to cut spending by $30 million this fiscal year – the most significant reduction of services in its history.
But in the coming fiscal year, officials are preparing to tackle an even large number – possibly up to $85 million – in an effort to stay afloat.
“Everything we did in June was to achieve a savings of $30 million,” said Mary Hearn, Los Angeles Superior Court.
“We are now looking at, on low end, $55 to $56 million up to $85 million. Minimally, we are almost doubling what we did in June, possibly tripling it.”
Los Angeles County court system officials earlier this month announced a plan to close all courtrooms in 10 community courthouses starting June 30, 2013, in an effort to get a handle on a looming deficit.
The courthouses affected include the San Pedro branches on Seventh Street and on Beacon Street as well branches in Avalon, Beverly Hills, Huntington Park, Pomona, Whittier, Malibu and the David Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center in Los Angeles.
The courtroom closures on June 30 will prompt an unknown number of layoffs involving court clerks, court reporters and other staffers, Hearn said.
Specifics have yet to be released regarding where cases and employees will be transferred, but Hearn used the example of small claims cases to illustrate the level of cuts expected.
“We plan to regionalize certain types of cases,” she said. “There are 26 courthouses where small claims matters are heard. After the reorganization proposal, we’re planning to have six locations where small claim cases are heard.
“That’s one of the parts of the plan – reduce the numbers.”
The closures take in an array of court activity ranging from criminal and civil cases, probate, small claims, juvenile justice and landlord-tenant disputes.
Although some administrative work might still be offered in the buildings – including accepting traffic payments – cases would be moved to other open courthouses, Hearn said.
Along with the reorganization will come “great delays,” officials said.
Hearn warned about longer times for divorces and civil courts. It will also take longer to process paperwork and there will be longer lines at the courthouses that remain open.
In addition to closures and reorganization, the court also anticipates eliminating part-time court reporters in most civil courts, eliminating all non-mandatory elements of the court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution programs, and significant reduction to the Court’s Dependency Mediation program, said Lee Smalley Edmon, presiding judge of the county’s Superior Court system.
“The impacts of these changes will dwarf anything that this court has seen,” Edmon said.
“There is no way to maintain the current level of service to the public in the face of state-mandated reductions of nearly one-fifth of the court’s discretionary funding.”
Edmon went on to say the courts can no longer provide a range of services across the county.
Instead, litigants, attorneys, witnesses, law enforcement officers and others will have to travel far distances for hearings.
“It’s going to already burden the poor judges and clerks that have been working very hard,” said Antonio Bestard, a veteran criminal defense attorney who is based in Pomona.
Witnesses and jurors “are going to have to commute half an hour to an hour to get to court in the morning.”
Los Angeles Police Department Commander Andrew Smith elaborated on how court closures could effect law enforcement officers.
One concern is losing on-duty police officers to travel time – they will have to drive further to pick up and drop off evidence at courthouses, which would take them away from securing their divisions.
“They’re working but the longer they’re traveling to court the more time they spend off the streets patrolling,” Smith said.
But that’s not even the major concern.
Smith is worried the additional miles will keep already-reluctant witnesses from trekking to the courthouse.
“We already lose court cases because some victims don’t show up,” Smith said. “A lot of people aren’t willing to go that extra just to go to court and testify.”
The California court system has had $1.1 billion in court cuts in the 2009-10 to 2012-13 fiscal years, officials said.
The state courts budget this fiscal year will see a reduction of about $600 million, which is a substantial amount of the multi-year cut, officials said.
Los Angeles County, which accounts for about a third of the total, will see cuts of about $217.1 million, Hearn said.
San Bernardino County – one of the most understaffed and under-resourced counties in the state – will be hit with nearly $23 million in cuts this fiscal year.
“This is not a ploy,” Hearn said about Los Angeles County’s operating plan, referencing the cuts across the state.
“We’re back at the starting point again, having to spend the last of our court reserves.”
Staff writer Larry Altman contributed to this report.
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Reach Lori via email or call her at 909-483-9378.
Delilah
November 24, 2012
Meanwhile, in other news:
“The new courthouse will contribute both to the California Judicial Council’s goal of an improved court system statewide, and specifically to the enhancement of court services and access offered to Calaveras County residents,” said Matt Wade, McCarthy’s project director. “As the general contractor, we are thrilled to build a facility that will accommodate the region’s current and future needs, improve service to the public and provide a more secure infrastructure.”
http://www.correctionalnews.com/articles/2012/11/16/new-calaveras-county-courthouse-project-tops-out
I will let the irony speak for itself.
wearyant
November 24, 2012
And the irony again says, Follow the money.
disgusted
November 24, 2012
I’m astounded that this continues. It’s like watching “50 First Dates” over and over again. Unbelievable!
unionman575
November 24, 2012