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Beset by an unprecedented budget crisis, the Los Angeles Superior Court – the nation’s largest trial court system – today laid off 329 employees and announced closure of 17 courtrooms, a number that is certain to grow.
The Court has a total of about 5,400 workers. It operates about 580 courtrooms.
In addition to the layoffs, the Court expects to close as many as 50 courtrooms by September, in addition to 17 already shut down or in the process of being closed. These 17 courtrooms are throughout the county, including at the Stanley Mosk, Clara Shortridge Foltz, Malibu, Hollywood, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, San Fernando and Central Civil West courthouses.
The layoffs are in addition to 156 voluntary departures through attrition that are projected during the 2009-10 fiscal year. The Court is currently in a hiring freeze. With layoffs and attrition, by June, a total of 485 jobs will be eliminated.
Still more layoffs are anticipated in 2010—as many as 500 by September.
The courtrooms to be eliminated span nearly the entire breadth of the Court’s work. They include courtrooms handling criminal, family law, general civil, limited civil, complex litigation and small claims caseloads.
Employees who have been laid off range from entry level clerks to secretaries, computer system workers and supervisors, court reporters and child advocacy specialists.
“Our Court’s deficit is $79.3 million in Fiscal Year 2009-10, and we have few means of achieving substantial savings other than staff reductions,” said Presiding Judge Charles W. “Tim” McCoy Jr.
“We have explored every financial scenario before taking this action, but more than 80 percent of our budget goes to salaries and benefits, which forces today’s drastic measures,” said McCoy. With annual budget deficits expected to be as high as $140 million over the next four years, up to 1,800 staff positions may be eliminated.
Examples The effect of today’s terminations will be felt immediately with curtailments of services that include:
- Operator service will be eliminated immediately at the Traffic Telephone Call Center. Automated functions such as fine payments or requests to extend a court appearance will continue uninterrupted. However, callers in need of assistance from court personnel will have to visit a traffic court location or call the local traffic court office. With the reduction in court personnel, busy phone lines and longer lines at the traffic windows are expected. Recent statistics reflect that of the 19,200 daily calls to the call center, some 10 percent require the assistance of an operator.
- Traffic night court sessions will be reduced from twice to once a month at the Metropolitan Courthouse. About 120 people generally attend a night court session. Due to the popularity of the night court sessions, requests for night court are now being scheduled for October of 2010. Further delays are inevitable.
- With the addition of today’s layoffs, the total staff reduction in the Archives Records Center since February 2009 is 42 percent. The time to process requests for files and case reproduction will increase by 50 percent; paid file requests waiting times may increase from four to eight months and no-fee requests may increase from six months to a year. Reproduction waiting time will double.
- At the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the fifth floor clerk’s office will be closed. Cashier functions, criminal background checks, criminal case file requests and certification will only be available at the second floor clerk’s office. Court forms, directions and case details are still available at the lobby Information desk and automated kiosks.
- The Court has eliminated the unit at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center (commonly known as the Criminal Courts Building) that performed ”bulk’ criminal name searches. These name searches are generally done for private companies looking to hire new employees. The bulk name searches will now be performed at all courthouses hearing criminal matters, but, they will be processed along with all other clerical requests. Service response time will be delayed significantly and job candidates’ clearances may be affected.
- With the reduction of Family Court services specialists, family law courts will see a delay in the scheduling and completion of mediation appointments, which are legally mandated in divorce cases involving children. The wait for a mediation appointment , which has averaged from three to nine weeks depending on location and the availability of staff will increase, delaying court orders on dissolution cases.
- The Court will no longer provide financial support and supervising personnel to the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, based at the Edward D. Edelman Children’s Court. CASA volunteers work on behalf of abused, neglected and abandoned children involved in dependency court matters. A court-funded manager, clerical worker and six supervisors of volunteers will be laid off.
- The Court made $16 million in non-staff cuts and is using reserves to minimize staffing reductions as long as possible. In 2002, with a budget deficit of $57.3 million, the Court laid off 150 employees and closed courthouses in Culver City, Monrovia and South Gate.
The layoffs anticipated in later fiscal years, coupled with an ongoing hiring freeze, will leave the LASC unable to support current levels of processing cases. The Court’s leaders are investigating how staffing reductions impact the Court’s ability to handle its workload.
“If the Court’s budget forecast is correct, courtroom and courthouse closures remain in our future for a very long time,” said John A. Clarke, court executive officer, “and its impact on Los Angeles County families, public safety and the economy remain our main focus as we continue seek solutions to the budget crisis.
“We have prepared as well as any court could, and we are committed, along with all of the bench officers to manage it and not be managed by it,” said Clarke.
