 Inyo County Presiding Superior Court Judge Dean Stout sits behind the bench at the Bishop courthouse, which, along with the courthouse in Independence, will be closed the third Wednesday of the month in an effort to save funding statewide. Unfortunately, Wednesdays are a main arraignment day in Inyo County, and are also when certain court program clients are required to report for status reviews. Photo by Darcy Ellis By Darcy Ellis and Mike Bodine
Register Staff
9-22-2009 California’s continuing fiscal crisis has reached the Golden State’s judicial branch, where court rooms from Yreka to Chula Vista are closing their doors once a month in an attempt to help shoulder some of the state’s financial burden.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 16, all Superior Courts in California, including those in Bishop and Independence, will be closed to the public the third Wednesday of every month until June 2010, per state mandate.
“It’s finally happened here,” Court Operations Administrator Virginia Bird said of the cost-cutting closures. “We’re willing to do our part.”
Inyo County Superior Court did its part by closing for the first time to the public last Wednesday, with the next black-out date slated for Wednesday, Oct. 21.
According to Presiding Judge Dean Stout, the mandate for the statewide closure was made by the California Judicial Council, which saw the decision as “one way for the courts to help address the state’s fiscal crisis.”
A recent change in statute seeks to go one step further, allowing Superior Court judges to voluntarily take a 4.26 percent salary reduction for the day courts are closed across the state. Both Stout and Inyo County Superior Court Judge Brian Lamb have agreed to do this.
It is estimated the Judicial Council’s move alone to close California courts one day a month will save California approximately $90 million.
Unfortunately, Stout said, the day of the week chosen for the monthly closure is less than fortuitous for Inyo County, where Wednesdays typically and historically see heavy caseloads for the courthouses in Bishop and Independence.
According to Stout, Wednesday is “the main arraignment day” for Inyo County Superior Court.
“We’re going to have to adjust our schedule,” Bird said.
In addition to typical proceedings that come down the pike, such as traffic violation matters and various hearings for a wide range of misdemeanor offenses, status reviews for court clients enrolled in domestic violence offender programs, Drug Court and Prop 36 programs are also held on Wednesdays.
Continuity, for the sake of accountability, is critical to the success of the latter court efforts, Stout noted.
Closing once a month can also interrupt jury trials, Stout said.
Unfortunately, the judge continued, all this means that the two courthouses will have more to do in less time – that cases will be compressed into whatever court time is available outside of the mandated closure.
“Losing one day in 20 court days might not seem like a lot,” he added, but the cumulative impact is massive, especially when one also considers the other agencies affected, such as law enforcement, Child Protective Services, Probation, Health and Human Services.
That’s why, even though Inyo County Superior Court will have to make some adjustments to its schedule in light of the California Judicial Council’s mandate, Stout and company are hesitant to make any drastic changes that would throw off agency schedules throughout the community.
“We’re going to really try to avoid that as much as possible,” Stout said. “And I apologize as much as possible to the public for the inconvenience.”
Residents, too, will be unable to access the courts one day a month to even file simple paperwork.
“The ability to come to the court, to file documents, is going to affect everyone,” Bird said.
There is some good news to come of out of all of this, according to Stout and Bird, which is simply that the situation could be much worse.
“Fortunately, the local Inyo County Superior Court has managed its finances well – which is a credit to Court Executive Officer Nancy Moxley – and we have a reasonable reserve, or court contingency fund,” Stout said. “So while we’re required to close, we will continue to pay those employees for that day of work as long we’re allowed.”
Essentially, Stout explained, the courts have enough money right now to keep their current 18 employees on the job and working that one Wednesday a month even though no court proceedings will be under way and the facilities will not be open to the public. Instead, the employees will be processing paperwork and performing other office tasks so that at least that part of the court system does not fall behind because of the mandated closure.
“We want to keep them paid and working and their paychecks turning over in the community,” Stout said.
Bird noted that some other counties are having to apply furlough days to employees.
Stout said that some counties are even laying off court employees.
“So we’re really in great shape,” he said.
Though the courts will be closed to the public on the third Wednesday of the month, the office will still accept calls. Bird urges anyone with any questions or concerns on those Wednesdays to call her at 873-5271.
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