|
RELEASE
Jan. 9, 2014
L.A. Superior Court Presiding Judge
Addresses Gov. Brown’s 2014 Budget
Statement from Presiding Judge David S. Wesley
Today, I along with Assistant Presiding Judge Carolyn Kuhl and Executive/
Clerk Sherri R. Carter, issued the following statement in response to the
Governor's proposed budget.
The Governor's budget proposal released today includes an increase of
$100 million for trial court operations. We are heartened that Governor
Jerry Brown recognizes that, after sharing so much of the devastating cuts to
state government over the past 5 years, the trial courts should be part of the
investment he is making in shoring up California’s infrastructure.
This is the beginning of the budget process, not the end. So we cannot
be certain what the Governor’s proposal will mean for our Court for several
months.
Nonetheless, it is important to put this proposal in context. As
currently stated, the increased funding may prove adequate to cover our Court’s
existing unfunded costs and anticipated cost increases for the next fiscal
year. If there is funding available after covering those costs, our first
priority would be to sufficiently staff the Consolidation Plan we put in place
last Spring. Under the Consolidation Plan, our Court
maintains courtrooms in every case type, continues to provide self-help
services, maintains access to domestic violence and civil harassment orders,
and otherwise maintains the full spectrum of adjudicative functions (including,
for instance, small claims).
Unfortunately, given a required 25% reduction in staff, we are only
able to maintain access to justice at the price of widespread delays and
backlogs. Any additional available funding, combined with the aggressive
program of reengineering and restructuring currently underway, should allow our
Court to significantly reduce the largest and most troubling backlogs and
delays.
We remain committed to providing the level of accessibility to justice
in the Los Angeles Superior Court that litigants, attorneys and the public
deserve and we hope that this budget year proves to the be first step down that
path.
# # #