City Asks Courts to Rethink Local Cuts—SCVNews.com, Nov 1
Citing cost, convenience and a decision Friday to delay construction on a new Santa Clarita Valley courthouse indefinitely, Santa Clarita City Council members are urging Los Angeles County court officials to restore court services locally.

Dire forecast set for San Bernardino County court costs —San Bernardino Sun, Oct 7
By the end of the fiscal year, the reserves for the San Bernardino Superior Court system will have plunged from $32.8 million to $8.2 million. And it will get worse. Come June 30, 2014, the reserve fund will be close to $800,000.

Due to increasingly severe budget cuts, more and more state court systems have become dysfunctional in the last few years—Remapping Debate, Oct 3
Due to increasingly severe budget cuts, more and more state court systems have become dysfunctional in the last few years.

[Contra Costa] Superior Court adopts final budget reduction plan—San Ramon Express, Sept 7
"The court deeply regrets having to make these changes. However since the state has cut the court's budget and taken our reserves we no longer have sufficient funds to provide access to justice throughout the county or in a timely manner," said Diana Becton, presiding judge of the court.

Courtrooms may be shut by state cuts, San Mateo Daily Journal, Sept 25
Up to six county courtrooms may close next year due to state budget cuts under a proposal by the Superior Court of San Mateo County.

Two more Fresno County courthouses close—KFSN Fresno, Aug 6
Two more Fresno County courthouses are closed after state budget cuts forced officials to lock the doors to each branch office. That makes seven total closures in the past week.

Court clerk’s office in Needles to be reduced to three days a month, Needles Desert Star, July 16
The San Bernardino County Superior Court clerk’s office in Needles is to be the next local casualty of budget cuts in the county court system.

California Courts Fear the Pinch from Proposed Cuts, San Francisco Chronicle, May 17
San Francisco's courts have cut their staff by 31 percent since 2008. Eleven of the 63 civil courtrooms at 400 McAllister St. have been closed since October, when an emergency infusion of state funds averted a much larger shutdown. People have to wait one to three hours in line to pay their traffic tickets.

Lawyers, labor, leaders rally for court funding—LA Times Jan 28

Viewpoints: With severe budget cuts, state's courts are in crisis, by Judge David F. DeAlba, Superior Court of Sacramento County and a member of the Judicial Council, for The Sacramento Bee, May 3

Opinion: Riverside County: The state should stop depriving local courts, by Judge Elisabeth Sichel, Superior Court of Riverside County and a member of the Judicial Council, for The Press-Enterprise, April 29 

Feature: Due to increasingly severe budget cuts, more and more state court systems have become dysfunctional in the last few years—Remapping Debate, Oct 3

State court chief warns new courthouse funding is in jeopardy, VillageLife, Aug 28
Adding insult to injury, revenue generated by the judicial branch to renovate or replace outdated, overcrowded and unsafe courthouses around the state was raided by the state both years in a shell game of loans and fund shifts that cost the courthouse construction fund an estimated $1 billion, with a permanent $50 million annual raid of the fund beginning in 2013-14.

California’s chief justice urges court funding,—Napa Valley Register, Aug 28
Cantil-Sakauye said the judicial branch’s budget has shrunk by $1.2 billion—more than 24 percent—over the past five years. At a time when other state services are being cut, courts have faced furloughs, reduced hours and higher case loads, she said.

Chief Justice Hosts Summit to Discuss Budget Crisis
On July 27, California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil Sakauye hosted a summit in her chambers attended by American Bar Association President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III and members of the State Bar.

Listen to ABA President Robinson's presentation to the Judicial Council later that morning on how the recession is impacting courts nation-wide.

View photo gallery

Joint Letter: Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee and Court Executives Advisory Committee May 31

Trial Courts' Letter to the Governor and Legislature May 16

Judicial Council's Letter to the Governor and Legislature May 14

Appellate Courts' Joint Letter to the Governor and Legislature May 14

Just Build California: The California Courthouse Construction Coalition represents members of the design and construction industry.

Santa Clara County Bar Association Responds May 15

Department of Finance Letter to the Legislature  May 14