Optimist speaker outlines impact of state deficit on court system

Cerritos Optimist Club President [l-r] Rick Renaker and guest speaker Superior Court Judge Phil Hickok at club’s Aug. 5 breakfast meeting held at the Off Street Café across from Gahr High School. Judge Hickok discussed the $19 billion state deficit and budget crisis its effect on the court system.




By Jerry Bernstein

Citing the current budget crisis confronting California and the continuing national recession, Superior Court Judge Phil Hickok said the Los Angeles Superior Court recognized the gravity and challenge to the court system early in the downturn. He said the court assumes the recession will force Sacramento to continue to impose deep cuts on the courts and its operation.
Speaking to members of the Cerritos Optimist Club he said an unpleasant decision was made to furlough the Los Angeles Superior Court staff, which went into effect with the start of the new fiscal year, July 2009. This meant closing the courts one day a month. He said the decision was made because the court’s rainy day reserve could not meet the fiscal emergency. He said even with previous cuts that had been made, the monetary crisis was turning into a tsunami.
The furloughs have saved $18 million. However, it is also causing the courts to lose case-processing capacity, delays and backlogs are apparent throughout the court system.
Turning to previously approve capital funds, he said the Los Angeles Superior Court has been forced to redirect $25 million of SB 1407 funds and $100 million of planned CCMS funding to meet court operations. He said the only capital project that is ongoing is the construction of a new Long Beach Courthouse.
Judge Hickok also spoke about the changes in the selection of jurors. He said it use to be when a perspective juror was notified he/she would go down to the courthouse and if they were not selected to serve on a jury they would still have to spend the day there waiting to see if they would be picked to serve on another jury. Now when they are notified, they can call in to see if they need to report in. If they are not needed they are done. This so called self-scheduling not only gives perspective juror greater control over the term of their jury service but also cut down on staff-time.