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RELEASE
June 15, 2012
Los Angeles
Budget Cuts Affecting 431
Employees
Los
Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon announces that
“Tomorrow 431 court employees will be adversely affected as reductions in state
financial support for the
These
actions will affect nearly 1 of every 10 employees of LASC, the largest trial
court in the nation.
“This is the unfortunate human impact of the
need to reduce our spending by $30 million,” said Presiding Judge Lee Smalley
Edmon. “We are laying off people who are committed to serving the public. It is
a terrible loss both to these dedicated employees and to the public.”
The
latest cuts are part of an ongoing series of reductions that began in April of
2010 and that will continue. The reductions made to date already saved $70
million. The current actions will save another $30 million. Despite these cuts,
the Court faces future additional shortfalls as more reductions in state
support for the trial courts are proposed for the Fiscal Year 2012-13 budget.
As
of this writing, the state budget is not yet finished, but the Governor’s May
Revision proposes to reduce judicial branch funding by another $544 million,
and to eliminate the ability of the courts to use or maintain reserves as
bridge funding to delay the impacts of cuts. LASC will likely face additional
mandatory reductions of more than $40 million during the next fiscal year.
“Because
the
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June
15, 2012
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indefinitely
– especially if those reserves are swept, as is being considered in the current
budget talks. Our Court is in the midst of a series of painful and wrenching
reductions
that must ultimately bring services in line with significant reductions in
state funding.”
According
to Assistant Presiding Judge David Wesley, “There will be more cuts next year, and
their impacts will be severe. The current cuts already affect the core work of
court – the judge in the courtroom – while significant budget shortfalls
remain. Given the significance of our responsibilities to protect public safety
and children, the next round of reductions will further limit our ability to
hear civil cases.”
Across-the-board
cuts will eliminate 341(corrected)
positions in four areas, totaling $30 million in ongoing savings:
·
Eliminating courtroom staffing in 56 courtrooms will save $6.8
million, a change that affects courtrooms in civil (24 courtrooms affected),
criminal (24), family law (3), probate (1) and juvenile (4). The changes to the
affected courtrooms have been underway for the past several weeks; they are already
being felt across the county.
·
Eliminating the Court’s innovative Informal Juvenile Traffic
courts will save $4.8 million and will result in the closure of 11 additional
courtrooms.
·
Reducing court reporter services will save $10.3 million.
These changes began affecting civil courtrooms on May 15, when court-employed
reporters were no longer available for civil trials.
·
Eliminating 110 management, clerical and administrative
positions outside of the courtrooms will save $8.2 million. These impacts will
be felt across the Court, from clerk’s windows across the county, to central
administrative functions.
Altogether,
these cuts will impact 431 court staff:
·
157 people are being laid off,
·
108 people will lose 40% of their salaries when they are
moved to a three-day-per-week schedule,
·
86 people will lose between 5% and 40% of their salary when
they are reclassified to lower-level positions,
·
80 people are being transferred to new jobs, and typically
new locations, because their old jobs have been eliminated.
Notices
to affected employees are being hand-delivered tomorrow. Those laid off will be
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June
15, 2012
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given
two weeks’ paid administrative leave, during which time they may attend
Court-provided workshops on post-employment benefit issues.
By
tomorrow, the LASC will have reduced the number of budgeted positions by 23%
since 2002.
“We
are in the midst of a fundamental restructuring of the
“Legislators
and the Governor are restructuring how
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