First Hearing on California's Civil Justice Crisis Will Be Tuesday (11/15) at Sacramento's McGeorge School of Law

Justice Ron Robie

The first of four scheduled hearings being held across California "to demonstrate the fundamental role of both the courts and legal assistance in our society and explore the devastating effects, especially for low-income Californians, of chronic underfunding and recent budget cuts" will take place Tuesday, November 15, 2011, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

The hearings are co-sponsored by various entities, including the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Commission on Access to Justice, and the State Bar of California.  Professional and administrative support is provided by OneJustice (formerly the Public Interest Clearinghouse).  

According to the californiahearings.org web site, the first hearing is aimed at showing "that cuts in funding for the courts and legal services threaten efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars and the protection of rights and equal treatment under the law."

The hearing will be chaired by Justice Ron Robie of the California Court of Appeal, and will consist of four panels: 

Foundational Panel – Background on the Effects of the Economic Downturn and Underfunding on the Courts and Legal Services and Discussion of Increased Need for Access to the Courts and Legal Services.

• Sharon Browne, Principal Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation and Board Member, Legal Services Corporation
• Justice Vance Raye, California Court of Appeal

Continuum of Services Panel - The Efficiency of the Continuum of Services and the Role of Courts and Legal Services in the Continuum.

• Diane Bras, Family Law Facilitator, Superior Court of California
• Martin Carr, Partner, Law Offices of Belzer & Carr and Board Member, Legal Services of Northern California
• Sue Talia, private family law judge and member of the Limited Representation Committee of the California Commission on Access to Justice

Right to Counsel Panel - Why Everyone Should Be Ensured Representation.
Judge Steven K. Austin, Contra Costa Superior Court

• James Brosnahan, Senior Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP
• Justice Earl Johnson (Ret.), Scholar-in-Residence, Western Center on Law & Poverty

Seniors Services Panel – The Integration of Legal Services and the Courts into Senior Services as an Example of Efficient Use of Taxpayer Dollars.

• Coral Henning, Director, Sacramento County Public Law Library
• Joanne Parke, client of Legal Services for Northern California (LSNC)

The schedule for subsequent hearings is: 

November 30, 2011 – San Francisco 

Administrative Office of the Courts

455 Golden Gate Avenue

San Francisco, California

Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

December 2, 2011 – Los Angeles

Southwestern Law School
3050 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles, California

Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

December 7, 2011 – Irvine

University of California, Irvine School of Law

401 East Peltason Drive
Irvine, California

Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For information on these upcoming hearings, please contact: info@californiahearings.org

Courts Budget Deal Struck?

The state's courts reportedly have come up with a proposal to address the $393 million in budget cuts they are scheduled to endure in the next fiscal year. According to news accounts, the Administrative Office of the Courts, with yeoman's assistance from Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, have reached an accord with legislative budget conferees to:

• Close courthouses one day a month ($102 million);
  
• Tap into funds earmarked for the new state computer system (CCMS), though the courts - though the AOC reportedly is authorized to trim elsewhere to reduce that amount ($102 million);
• Tap into court construction and maintenance funds - with the apparent understanding that construction on projects already underway will not be affected ($25 million);
• Raise civil filing fees $5 ($6-7 million);
• Raise criminal fines and fees by $10 ($40 million);
• Make a one-time only cut in statutory appropriation limit ($32 million);\Taken from trial court reserves ($70) million;
• Redirect for for two years the funds raised by a $10 increase on certain fees proposed under Feuer's bill (AB 590) to create a "civil Gideon" pilot project under which free court-appointed counsel would be provided to low-income people in cases where basic human needs, such as shelter, sustenance, safety, health or child custody are at stake ($11 million).
  

The reported deal is the product of weeks of intense lobbying and debate. Many of the proposed elements of the deal cannot be implemented without statutory changes, which likely will appear in a budget "trailer" bill or bills.