A few years ago JCW launched as “California’s ten billion dollar reality check”. The reason we picked that number in particular is because that is how much public monies were at risk of being mis-spent by the boondogglers that run the AOC and the hand-picked long time inside brown-nosed boondogglers of the judicial council. Over the past three years we’ve changed this barometer. We lowered the barometer when CCMS was terminated only to raise it a few months later with the Long Beach courthouse project. Due to some changes related to the diversion of funding and the cancellation of courthouse projects, we’re having a difficult time currently assessing where todays barometer should be so we’re leaving it at the current 9.1 billion dollars. What is at risk is 9.1 billion dollars that would be best spent by the trial courts but given to the AOC as the accountable to no one central planners and distributors of this public funding.
In a recent news release of the Alliance of California Judges, ACJ president Steve White opined to legislators that if the JC\AOC has enough money hanging out to grant 150 million dollars in trial court loans then the JC\AOC has enough money hanging out to distribute an additional 150 million dollars in trial court funding. In accordance with the newly defined trial court funding distribution plans, I’d call that new money, especially if the legislature redirects the 150 million from the JC\AOC and redirects those monies to the trial courts. In our opinion, even this is not enough to impact nor deter the piss poor planners at the central politburo.
The legislature needs to turn over ALL court construction funds directly to our trial courts to preserve our justice system and to compel actual and significant layoffs at the central politburo. It will be these loose lips that are no longer under the threat of AOC termination that will sing like a bird and tell us all what we need to know about these questionable transactions. Today, they fear a loss of their jobs, their benefits and their pensions for speaking out. Previous layoffs were of low level persons who were all but out of the loop of impropriety. There is much knowledge of impropriety among current AOC employees and they tell us as much. What they also tell us is that they fear speaking out on the issues under the threat of no recourse termination for they are smart enough to realize that the modified whistleblower laws serve only the AOC and not the people they’re supposed to protect and that there was no enabling legislation that would cause the process to work for anyone.
With so much damage created by just one obscure little agency that appears to be accountable to no one, it is high time that our state legislators open up a broad investigation of California’s Administrative Office of the Courts and their handlers on the judicial council with an eye on following the money. Thus far, the AOC has used the executive branch to protect them legally at the cost of trial court funding. One could reason that because you’re driving the getaway car that you too will pay the price for the bank clerk murdered by the actual bank robber and therefore, you need to have your budgets cut.
A suitable budget for the Judicial Council and the AOC for fiscal years 13-14 would be a conditional budget. Keep the same management team employed as of December 31 and your annual budget is $1.00 moving forward. Lose the management team and you get to stay funded. This is what it took to wake up the state bar for all the good it did. It’s time the AOC and the Judicial Council also received a wake-up call because it is obvious probation hasn’t worked.
Related articles
- Why are we so afraid of democracy? (judicialcouncilwatcher.com)
- JCW’s wishes for the May budget revise (judicialcouncilwatcher.com)
- As Transparent As An Iron Curtain (judicialcouncilwatcher.com)
Judicial Council Watcher 
areachi1956
June 5, 2013
I so appreciate this site and have been unsuccessfully thus far, been trying to post some eye opening docs…..
Thank you for this post (as well as all the others).
AMR
Judicial Council Watcher
June 5, 2013
Unfortunately wordpress does not permit you to post your own documents. The administrators of JCW maintain a document management system on the back-end of this site to serve up documents. In addition to that, Yen Interactive Media hosts a sharepoint site repository of documents that have been scanned and are available for viewing with a suitable permissions based login. In either case, you can contact us at judicialcouncilwatcher at hushmail dot com.
If you’re a writer and wish to assemble your documents into an article with links to those documents, feel free to submit your article to us and we’ll arrange a way with you to receive the documents and post them in either or both of the document management systems for either public or semi public viewing.
courtflea
June 5, 2013
there needs to be an audit of the AOC by the state auditor.
wearyant
June 5, 2013
As you rightfully say, JCW, probation has not worked so the probationer should be picked up on a felony warrant and returned to court for sentencing to prison with fines and fees assessed. 🙂 Courtflea is right, there must be a complete audit of the AOC by the state auditor. The auditor should get in there quick before the shredders fire up.
Lana Lane
June 6, 2013
If you want to investigate misappropriation of funds I can tell you now that for sure check Education, Human Resources and Budget. And that is why there is such a high turnover in HR and always has been. Once they find out what is going and how crooked the AOC is most have quit or retired. But many people who left made copies of documents upon leaving. 🙂
Lando
June 6, 2013
Is anyone in the legislature ready to bring reform and positive change to the branch? My plan is very simple . 1. Fix the allocation plan. If Judge Earl’s thoughtful plan won’t work agree to appoint a 6 person Commission to update the plan, 2 from the Governor’s office, 2 from the legislature and 2 from the judiciary chosen as follows, 1 nominated from the CJA, 1 nominated from the Alliance. 2. Using the new formula, the legislature provides that 95% of the overall branch budget go directly to the trial courts. 3. The remaining 5% is allocated to the Judicial Council and AOC.4. Courthouse construction fines and fees would be assessed in the same manner but would be allocated and collected by each respective trial court. This plan insures that the trial courts are properly funded. Courthouse construction is returned to the discretion of each local court and the AOC by virtue of a reformed budget chooses where they can cut themselves. This plan also reduces the power of the Judicial Council to that of an advisory Board, something that is consistent with the California constitution.
R. Campomadera
June 6, 2013
Lando, your suggestion rates a “two thumbs up”. By allowing the trial courts to assess and keep at least some percentage (more than 50%, certainly) of fees and formula-based fines, you would create an incentive for the courts to actually collect such fees and fines.
The problem of inactive accounts receivable would be greatly reduced if not eliminated. This is not a small amount of money: see: http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/billions-court-ordered-debt-goes-uncollected-16459.
Now, of course, there is little or no incentive to collect the debt because the money does not go directly to the trial courts. Even if only $0.10 on the dollar were actually collectible, it would still be a substantial amount of funds that would go a long way towards restoring jobs and services in the courts.