Santa Clara County courthouses will close one day each month starting in September, in order to save money following the announcement of state cuts.
The California Judicial Council, the policymaking arm of the California courts, voted unanimously last Wednesday to order the closures of all courthouses across the state. The courthouses will be closed the third Wednesday of each month, starting Sept. 16, through July 2010.
All 12 of Santa Clara County's courthouses, including the South County facility in Morgan Hill, will be subject to the closures, according to Superior Court spokesman Carl Schulhof.
Closing the courthouses is part of an effort to fill a $414 million budget gap in the state court system - a deficit that was aggravated by the state budget passed in July.
"This is what the Judicial Council and the administrative offices of the courts have worked out as a portion of the Judiciary's response to the state budget situation," Schulhof said.
It is not yet known what effect the closing will have on court employees and if, for example, it will constitute a furlough. Schulhof said that court officials and employee organizations will meet to discuss that subject over the next few days.
He added that court officials anticipated and began planning for the once-a-month closures before they were officially approved by the Judicial Council. Court staff have already stopped scheduling hearings on the days the facilities will be closed.
The council approved $21.3 million in cuts to the California Supreme Court, the six courts of appeal, the state administrative office and agencies such as the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, which represents death row inmates in their appeals.
It also slashed $71 million that had been slated for 50 new judgeships once promised by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Those cuts will not affect the local court system as Santa Clara County is not scheduled for any judgeship appointments in the near future, Schulhof said.
The council also called for a $25 million cut in courthouse construction funds, though these will not affect the county either. Plans are underway for a new family courthouse in downtown San Jose to replace a number of leased facilities that are currently in use for the same purpose, Schulhof said. However, the court system has not yet secured financing for the project which will therefore not be subject to the recent cuts.
At the local level, the closures mean one less day for residents to do everything from file a lawsuit to arrange traffic court appearances.
In testimony before the council July 29, staffers from courts across the state lamented the move, saying it will only further burden already overloaded court employees.
"It will just make our job more stressful," said Santa Clara clerk Donna O'Hara.
Members of the council expressed remorse over the cuts that are forced upon the court system by state decisions.
"It is with the greatest of regret that we have to be at this point," said California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George, who chairs the Judicial Council. "We do not take this action lightly, especially as an organization whose guiding principle ... has always been to increase access to justice."
The council also asked the state's judges to take pay cuts. California law protects judges from pay cuts so any salary reduction would have to be voluntary on the part of the 1,600 state jurists. George said he would take a cut and urged others to follow his example.
The Judicial Council also voted to increase certain court fees in order to increase revenues. There will be a $5 increase in fees to file court documents, and $10 increases for other court matters, such as costs for criminal convictions or losing court judgments in civil cases.
Santa Clara County Courthouses
-Downtown Superior Court, North First Street, San Jose, Civil, probate
-Old Courthouse, North First Street, San Jose, Civil
-Hall of Justice, West Hedding Street, San Jose, Criminal
-South County Courthouse, Diana Avenue, Morgan Hill, Civil, criminal, dependency, family, small claims, traffic
-Santa Clara Courthouse, Homestead Road, Santa Clara, Traffic, small claims
-Terraine Courthouse, Terraine Street, San Jose, Criminal, dependency, drug treatment
-Family court, Park Avenue, San Jose, Family law
-Juvenile Justice Court, Guadalupe Parkway, San Jose, Juvenile justice
-Sunnyvale Courthouse, West El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, Criminal, family law
-Palo Alto Courthouse, Grant Avenue, Palo Alto, Criminal, small claims, traffic
-Notre Dame Courthouse, Notre Dame Avenue, San Jose, Family law
-Los Gatos Courthouse, Capri Drive, Los Gatos, Criminal
Michael Moore Michael Moore covers county and law enforcement issues for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106, ext. 202, or mmoore@morganhilltimes.com.
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