Sacramento, CA – Saying spending by California’s Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has raised questions just as the AOC closed halls of justice to the public, court workers, law enforcement officials, judges and their allies from across the state introduced a four-point plan to help the legislature improve accountability over taxpayer dollars and make court budgets more transparent to the communities that count on them. Today’s action comes as legislators prepare to convene a special hearing on court accountability tomorrow.
“Closing courts hurts our public safety and compromises the justice system we all count on,” said L.A. County Court Reporter Carolyn Dasher. “Shuttering our halls of justice should be the last resort, not the first. Court employees are dedicated to working together with AOC and other agencies to keep our courts open to serve the public. Our recommendations ask the legislature to ensure the AOC does its part by opening their books and working together with employees for the public benefit.”
The Administrative Office of the Courts, the state agency that controls county court budgets, operates without oversight from the public or the legislature – unlike any other public agency. While the AOC has ordered county courts to close their doors to the public one day a month, the agency’s administrators have plowed forward with massive spending projects which raise serious questions about the AOC’s priorities.
Court employees, judges, legislators and local courts are working together to prevent more closures next year. Actions by SEIU and other concerned organizations have brought increased scrutiny to the court’s budget by trial court judges and the legislature and have spurred the AOC to move money from reserve accounts to daily operations.
Before a special legislative hearing on court operations tomorrow, SEIU introduced a four-point plan to improve the court’s accountability to the public. The plan asks the legislature to require the Judicial Council and the AOC to:
1) Provide the public access to records, including budgets.
2) Provide the public access to an input during meetings.
3) Undergo independent audits.
4) Prioritize public services and keeping courts open over other spending projects.
Last month the Daily Journal reported that the AOC has spent nearly $2 billion on a new computer system that is still years away from completion. What’s more, the cost of the system was 35% more than what the AOC reported to the Legislature. The AOC tried to hide millions in reserve funds that were eventually used to prevent cuts to children’s courts. And the AOC is collecting hundreds of millions in money from county courts every year to pay for bonds it is years away from selling.
“Public safety requires that court budgets prioritize public safety and service to communities who are counting on them. Children who are neglected and abused and victims of domestic violence can’t receive timely justice if court doors are closed,” said Lt. Ron Cottingham, President of the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) on a conference call with reporters. “Even before the recent court closures, county jails were so crowded that 20 California counties were under federal order to limit their inmate populations, and closing courts has made matters worse.”
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SEIU California is a coalition of over 700,000 janitors, social workers, security officers, homecare workers, education workers, nurses and various classifications of city, county and state employees represented by SEIU local unions throughout California. We come together to build a better California by fighting to pass policies and elect candidates that fight for the issues working men and women care about such as affordable healthcare, good wages, a means to a good retirement, a healthy environment, education and stronger communities. We believe that by working together we can build a California that all working families can once again thrive in.