Last week a mighty ray of sunlight beamed down on an appalling example of government inefficiency and wasteful spending of precious taxpayer dollars. This sunlight came in the form of a state audit, which my office requested, of the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC), a department of California’s judiciary branch.
As co-chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Justice Reinvestment and chair of the Sub-Committee on Public Safety which funds California’s courtrooms, I directed the California State Auditor to investigate potential mismanagement of state funds.
The audit released last week exposed the fact that from 2010 to 2014, the AOC wasted $30 million on lavish compensations and questionable business practices as a result of inadequate Judicial Council oversight.
According to its official responsibilities, the AOC supposedly provides administrative support to trial courts, yet the audit report revealed that wasn’t entirely factual. Through their investigation, the state auditor discovered that the courts requested only 55 percent of the AOC’s services because the office never formally surveyed courts in the first place to determine their basic needs. As a result, the office continuously funded unused services and wasted state resources.
Moreover, the AOC’s employees are paid handsomely even when compared to executive branch employees. The former receive an average salary of approximately $82,000 whereas the latter are paid on average $20,000 less.
Eight of the office’s directors were paid at least $179,000 while managing fewer than 120 employees in fiscal year 2013-14. In comparison, the director of California Department of General Services received $167,000 while managing more than 3,600 employees. Gov. Jerry Brown — an elected official — was paid a hair under $174,000. This wage disparity is staggering and completely unjustified.
The audit also highlighted the fact that the AOC continued utilizing services of contractors, consultants and temporary workers in spite of the Strategic Evaluation Committee’s recommendation to downsize and cut costs. These suggestions were ignored, and the office spent $13.5 million on 55 contractors, although it could have saved $7 million by deploying state employees in similar roles.
Other examples of the office’s blatant disregard for taxpayer money can be seen through its excessive lunch reimbursements. The audit report showed that each Administrative Office staff member was reimbursed up to $40 for business lunch or dinner, and $25 for breakfast. Spending on meals, however, went from $60,000 in 2011-12 and 12-13 fiscal years to $266,000 in 2013-14 — essentially quadrupling. I’d like to know why.
The AOC helps trial courts manage “content strategy, publishing, and metrics evaluation for social media channels including You Tube and Twitter.” The AOC rated this service as critical, yet a total of one trial court has requested this service.
Even worse, all of this irresponsible spending by the AOC coincided with $1.2 billion of budget cuts to the state’s court systems since 2011, forcing the closure of 51 courthouses and more than 200 courtrooms, according to the L.A. Times.
After years of crushing deficits and the slashing of critical funding to important health and human services for disadvantaged communities throughout California, the last thing our state needs is this kind of disregard for state funds and the flat-out waste of millions in precious taxpayer money.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees one’s right to a speedy and fair trial. However, some users experienced hours of waiting at clerk windows after driving more than 100 miles to the nearest courthouse. Is this — people being unable to even file cases because of an understaffed court system — what we consider to be “speedy”?
California families and our children are all bearing the recent costs of state government budget cuts — with prison overcrowding, increasing college tuition, K-12 classrooms overflowing, less services for the poor, crumbling infrastructure, and more.
That’s why I believe strongly that neither the Judicial Council nor the AOC should be exempted from ensuring that every penny of taxpayer money must be spent wisely, efficiently and effectively — especially when it comes to our overcrowded court system.
Yet the AOC and the Judicial Council remain oblivious — indifferent, even — to the sacrifices that nearly every other state department or agency has made. The former continued its trend of excessive spending despite having received numerous recommendations for change from different entities. The office’s responses to criticisms over its allocation of money has been underwhelming at best.
Because of this, we must take a heavy-handed approach given that the AOC has had a long track record in reckless spending and the Judicial Council has clearly abused the autonomy offered by state laws. As such, I plan to work diligently in the Assembly to ensure the courts do not receive funding until the office and the council formulate a comprehensive plan responding to the issues brought forth by this important state audit.
Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, represents the 59th District and is chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.
JusticeCalifornia
January 21, 2015
Go Reggie Jones-Sawyer.
In addition to everything else, AOC spending on meals went from $60,000 in 2012/13 to $266,000 in 2013/2014? WTF?
Extreme hubris.
The gambling barmaid and her gang of thieves have been riding for a fall.
They have failed the people. They have failed the branch.
THEY HAVE FAILED. They need to resign.
If they don’t, maybe it’s time to have some public protests.
courtflea
January 21, 2015
Mr. Jones Sawyer, the entire judicial branch owes you a debt of gratitude for your service in taking to task the wasteful spending and arrogance of the Judicial Council and it’s staff formerly known as the AOC. I hope your valiant efforts bring much needed reform. Many thanks and please keep up the good work, the good of the judicial branch rests with dedicated elected officials like you.
JusticeCalifornia
January 21, 2015
https://judicialcouncilwatcher.com/2014/11/05/democracy-now/
“Del Norte was looking for $300,000, Mono for $82,000, and Siskiyou for just $72,000. Siskiyou was asking to get back nothing more than the money it had contributed to the statewide reserve. ”
The audit report puts the Judicial Council’s denial of emergency funding into perspective, doesn’t it?
If Marie Antoinette Sakauye had not spent $266K stuffing staff mouths on the public dime, Mono and Siskiyou could have had their requests met, and Del Norte could have had some relief too.
wearyant
January 21, 2015
Exultant cheering until the very last paragraph. I don’t know, maybe the whole view of the exploits of the thuggery must be considered in order to properly deal with team Tani. A comprehensive plan? [sigh] The bureaucrats can nimbly present a “comprehensive plan” and continue on with their lavish lifestyles whilst the unwashed continue to suffer. No, heavier handedness is needed here. The queen must be unseated and her loyal team also put out. Funds for public safety should be provided for open courts available to citizens in need, for instance, emergency restraining orders in domestic violence case and protection orders for children, instead of tasty breakfasts and lunches for Tani’s crew. I’m sure the ACJ and the BSA have suggestions.
Long live the ACJ and Team Howle!
Judicial Council Watcher
January 21, 2015
It’s nice to see that at least one legislator understands the role of checks and balances in government.
We too were engaged in exultant cheering until the last paragraph but lets also add some perspective: A few of these “court executive officers” also make far more than any of their judges and more than the governor making them a part of the problem.
Some of the highest paid CEO’s like David Yamasaki, who makes as much (if not more than Martin Hoshino) are also judicial council insiders and have no intention on reforming the judicial council or their staff offices.
People in glass houses rarely throw stones.
Now that we have a well documented history of waste and mismanagement and nearly all of the court construction money has either been allocated or spent, it wouldn’t hurt to audit the construction and facilities maintenance programs, which are both the largest AOC big ticket items to date.
Jimmy
January 21, 2015
It is interesting to note that AOC staffers are (or were) reimbursed up to $25 for a business breakfast and up to $40 for a business lunch or dinner, while judges and court employees who attended AOC meetings or educational events were only allowed $6 for breakfast, $10 for lunch and $18 for dinner until very recently. Judges and court employees have also been accused by AOC accounting of inflating actual miles travelled – while being reimbursed at a little over $.50 per mile – because their Google search produced a different number than that of the traveling judge/employee’s odometer. Quite a double standard . . .
Wendy Darling
January 21, 2015
“AOC staffers are (or were) reimbursed up to $25 for a business breakfast and up to $40 for a business lunch or dinner, while judges and court employees who attended AOC meetings or educational events were only allowed $6 for breakfast, $10 for lunch and $18 for dinner until very recently. Judges and court employees have also been accused by AOC accounting of inflating actual miles travelled – while being reimbursed at a little over $.50 per mile – because their Google search produced a different number than that of the traveling judge/employee’s odometer. Quite a double standard . . .”
Truth.
The same double “standard” has also been applied by the AOC against judges and court employees regarding the disparity of allowable reimbursement for overnight lodging and airfare. The AOC has routinely held judges and court employees to the State government rate, for overnight lodging, currently between $96.00 – $115.00 per night, while AOC staffers, especially managers and administrators, have been, and are, allowed a much higher rate. Tonto used to stay at a hotel near the AOC that was over $200.00 a night, even though he lived locally and worked at 455 Golden Gate Avenue. Not to mention the AOC director and AOC assistant director who regularly took their spouse and/or domestic partner with them while traveling on AOC “business” for which they submitted expense claims to include expenses for the spouse and/or domestic partner.
The AOC also conducts “audits” of the trial courts, and I vividly recall one AOC audit where one of the court’s judges attended a mandated AOC event, the event unexpectedly ended early, and the judge changed their return flight for an earlier time. There was a rather nominal fee by the airline for changing to an earlier flight of $25.00. When the AOC audited the court, the auditors admonished the court for allowing the judge to change the flight, dinged the trial court in the AOC’s audit report for a deficiency in reimbursing the judge for the flight change fee, and required the judge to personally make reimbursement of the $25.00. With the check made out to the AOC.
Mirror, mirror
On the wall
Who is the biggest hypocrite
Of them all?
Why, you
Queen Feckless.
You are, and remain,
Absolutely and without question,
The biggest hypocrite
Of them all.
Still serving themselves to the detriment of all Californians.
Long live the ACJ.
Auntie Bureaucrat
January 21, 2015
I suspect Tani considers Yamasaki’s services outstanding and worth every penny. A good yes-man is hard to find.
unionman575
January 21, 2015
Thanks for continuing the good fight Reggie Sawyer-Jones.
I love Assembly Sub 5.
http://abgt.assembly.ca.gov/sub5publicsafety
And thanks to everyone here.
😉
unionman575
January 21, 2015
Go like a homing pigeon to page 22 here:
unionman575
January 21, 2015
Contact Reggie here:
https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.php?district=AD59
courtflea
January 21, 2015
Thanks U man for the link. I want to tell Mr. Jones Sawyer not to with hold funding from trial courts to force changes at the judicial council. With hold funds from Them, the JC and the AOC.
Judicial Council Watcher
January 22, 2015
Flea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Jones-Sawyer
You might want to take a look at that
Auntie Bureaucrat
January 22, 2015
That was my first thought too, Flea. The public and the courts have suffered enough. Direct funding to keep the doors open and staffing levels adequate is the only way. Let the guy making 82k while playing in Twitter skip a $25 lunch here and there. SMH.
Lando
January 21, 2015
I guess Assemblyperson Jones-Sawyer didn’t hear the news. Terry B. Friedman in a recent letter to the editor has set everything straight. According to Friedman the Judicial Council /AOC have been doing a great job. Never mind CCMS, and the recent State Auditor’s results. Never mind the fine work of the Hon. Jones- Sawyer. No all is well, because the ultimate 455 Golden Gate insider says so. It is amazing how the insiders go back to the same old tired playbook. You can’t make any of this up. Really.
Cheryl Van Vliet
January 22, 2015
None of these AOC people deserve their jobs and should be fired with no retirement checks except what they put in themselves. Hon. Jones-Sawyer, please include that with your investigation. And come on people, sign your names. I am a retired Superior court clerk of Contra Costa County. I want to know your experiences in this disaster. I have seen the huge mess that CCcounty wastes on management. Incompetence, no understanding of what the clerks do and they get paid big bucks. Ever since consolidation back in the 90’s, California’s taxpayer money has gone into the trash.
unionman575
January 22, 2015
Everyone say hello to Judicial Council OARS (above). They enjoy this blog too.
😉
JusticeCalifornia
January 22, 2015
what is OARS?
unionman575
January 22, 2015
Oops I meant OERS..Office of Emergency Response Services i.e. the plain cdlothes JC Gestapo.
😉
wearyant
January 22, 2015
Yeah, UMan, please, do tell. Are the evil-doers still out to squish the bugs, i.e., flea, ant, et al.? 🙂
unionman575
January 22, 2015
I see you.
😉
Auntie Bureaucrat
January 22, 2015
Cheryl, were I retired like you I’d happily sign my name. I suspect if you were still relying on these goons for your livelihood you’d be concerned with your anonymity, too.
But I love the points you make.
Cheryl Van Vliet
January 23, 2015
Thanks Auntie B. Stupid me, I wasn’t thinking about that. But at least if anyone in the legislature wants to call, they can find me. I’ll give them a load of whats going on. I sure do hope something happens, like lets get rid of the JC/AOC. Hell, I could do a better job.
unionman575
January 22, 2015
Time for yall to drift away:
courtflea
January 22, 2015
Thanks JCW. This flea is embarrassed by its gaffe. I hope MR assemblyman excuses my error. I only have a brain the size of flea after all. 😉
wearyant
January 22, 2015
Gotta love da Flea!
katy
January 22, 2015
Reblogged this on Katy’s Exposure http://wp.me/plYPz-3RT
“So…..when is someone going to file criminal charges? This is WRONG and DANGEROUS that these people are being allowed to continue on their merry way with barely a slap on the wrist and a promise that they won’t do it again. History proves that they are going to do it again, and again, and again, until someone stops them.”
katy
January 22, 2015
I am of the opinion there has been no “mismanagement” of funds. It seems to me that those with dishonorable intent have managed quite well to STEAL money from the California taxpayer. Deeming it “mismanagement” only serves to sanitize the multiple criminal acts of fraud that have been occurring under the current and recent past leadership of the Judicial Council and their staff.
unionman575
January 22, 2015
http://www.governing.com/columns/smart-mgmt/gov-data-analyst-shortage.html
It’s common for an administrative agency to provide a variety of services to departments or other government entities. But the need for the services often changes over time, which means that administrative agencies can miss out on current needs.
Recently, the California auditor’s office lambasted the Administrative Office of the Courts for a variety of ills. One of the most fundamental questions it brought up was whether the AOC was providing services that courts need now. The auditor’s office conducted its own survey of courts and found that trial courts, on average, only used 55 percent of the AOC’s services. For example, The Administrative Office of the Courts provides support to civics education programs “to improve civic learning and public understanding of the judicial branch, including the California Task Force on K-12 Civics Learning.” But only 5 of 56 trial courts made use of this.
As the audit http://media.bizj.us/view/img/4773791/californiaauditorjudicialcouncil.pdf points out, “Low rates of use do not necessarily mean that a service is not critical to the operations of the trial courts. However it is important feedback from the trial courts that can help the AOC evaluate the necessity and value of the services it provides.”
sharonkramer
January 23, 2015
Here’s an interesting one: The governor of New York is allegedly being named as a defendant over a matter which involves abuse in family court. Apparently, the suit alleges the gov is culpable because he appointed several of the judges involved in the matter. Could this be a reason for Brown’s hands-off position with Tani’s Pawnies after years of refusing to stop bad behavior in the branch?
http://rebelpundit.com/chris-christie-named-in-two-lawsuits-alleging-violations-by-family-courts/#!