Facing smaller budget, LA court announces force reduction

Anticipating deep cuts, Los Angeles County court officials on Monday instituted a "voluntary separation incentive program" for staff that they said would reduce next year's operating budget by $30.3 million. The swiftness with which the court acted to cut costs suggests officials learned lessons from the "great recession" during which they struggled to absorb cuts.

But Los Angeles County Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner stressed that no matter how proactive the court is it may not be enough to stave off painful cuts.

"Make no mistake -- the cuts to California's trial courts in the FY 2024-25 state budget are concerning and consequential," Jessner said in a statement. "While the Court is leveraging every tool at its disposal to minimize impacts on core services, actions such as the [voluntary separation incentive program] will result in staffing reductions that will no doubt impact the Court's ability to provide timely and efficient access to justice for Los Angeles County residents."

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget Friday that cuts $97 million from the state's trial courts for Fiscal Year 2024-25. Additionally, there is a 7.95% reduction in operating budgets for the appellate courts and judicial branch administration. These cuts are part of an effort to address an anticipated $46.8 billion state budget deficit.

California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero said in a statement Friday, "We understand that our state is facing difficult fiscal times, and we remain committed to doing our part to help address the statewide budget deficit. That said, we are concerned that these cuts to the judicial branch budget will have real impacts on operations, services, and access for everyone seeking to resolve disputes or assert their legal rights in our courts. We will work diligently to mitigate and manage impacts to the courts and to the public."

The cuts come as the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest trial court in the nation, continues to recover from the case backlogs that piled up during the pandemic. The average caseload for unlimited civil matters nearly doubled over the last decade, from an average of 443 cases per courtroom in December 2014 to 847 in December 2023. That has left attorneys frustrated as their cases languish without trial dates. The problem is exacerbated by a chronic shortage of judges across the state. That shortage is particularly acute in Los Angeles County Superior Court, which had 27 vacancies as of June 1, according to the Judicial Council.

In 2008, California trial courts were devastated by the "great recession" that resulted in nearly 4,000 staff cuts and the closing of 52 courthouses. In Los Angeles County, eight courthouses were closed, and more than 500 court staff lost their jobs.

Shehnaz Bhujwala, co-chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Adequate State Court Funding and Operations Committee, said "As a legal community, we are all working together to support adequate funding for California trial courts, so as to ward off deeper cuts in future budget years and ensure the Court meets its mission of providing fair, timely and equal access to justice for all."

"The Court and the Bar will proactively, and collectively, develop strategies in coming months to impress upon our Legislature the importance of adequately funding our state trial courts and ensuring timely access to justice," added Bhujwala of Boucher LLP.

Blaine Corren, a spokesperson for the Judicial Council, did not have a comprehensive list of trial courts that have planned cuts. Most counties did not respond to queries about their plans. Alameda County instituted a voluntary time off program, asking employees to take unpaid leave during Christmas.

"We have no choice but to look for ways to tighten our already tightened belts," Presiding Judge Thomas Nixon said.

Orange County Superior Court CEO David H. Yamasaki reported that his court implemented measures months ago in anticipation of revenue reductions, aiming to maintain service levels despite less funding.

"The budget has sustained significant reductions that will impact all trial courts adversely. These reductions were bound to affect the trial courts in different ways around the state," Yamasaki said.