San Francisco –  Even as top California court administrators have received double-digit salary increases and plunged ahead with massive expenditures on an IT project that is already 500% percent more expensive than projected in 2006, the state’s Judicial Council today told Californians that budget shortfalls require keeping our state’s halls of justice closed to the children, families and businesses that are counting on them.  

The state’s Judicial Council, which administers courts in every county through the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), voted today to continue closing courts statewide one day each month, a decision that will hurt kids and families who need timely access to the justice system.

“The closures are hurting the public, the economy, and this institution that we all respect. It's about priorities; unfortunately, the Judicial Counsel is not prioritizing public safety and public service,” said Los Angeles County court reporter Arnella Sims.   

Courts have been closed statewide once each month since September, a decision that has drawn fire from law enforcement and family advocates.  Yesterday, hundreds of court employees represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) locals across California gathered outside the state’s courthouses to protest court closures that harm California’s children and families.   

Noting the harmful impact court closures have had on California families and communities, court workers have identified billions in savings within the court system which could be redirected to keep courts open.  More funds could be found, they said, if the AOC would open its books to the public.
 
“In this time when unemployment has soared over 10 percent, when public and private budgets are being slashed to deal with current economic realities, we have a duty to be open and available,” said Tim Brandon, a court interpreter in Kern County. “Instead, what we have is a bureaucracy that is still hiring, still giving out raises, while cutting services. This would be unacceptable in any government agency. But from the justice system, it is abhorrent.”

In the wake of the state’s first court closures, court workers joined with judges, law enforcement officials, and advocates for children and families last October to propose a four-point plan to increase accountability over the state’s court system, including greater public access to meetings and records, as well as independent audits of the AOC and of courts.
 

SEIU California is a coalition of over 700,000 janitors, social workers, security officers, home care workers, school and university employees, healthcare workers, and 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 benefit working families and advance the issues we care about: affordable healthcare, good wages, retirement security for all, a healthy environment, good schools and universities, and stronger communities. We believe that by working together we can build a California where working families can thrive again.