Plan to upgrade courthouses is pushed
Aging facilities would be improved under a $5-billion bond measure funded by fee increases for parking tickets, traffic school and filing lawsuits.
SACRAMENTO - Higher fees for parking tickets, traffic school, criminal convictions and civil court filings would pay for improvements to California's deteriorating courthouses under a proposal announced today by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court and legislative leaders.
Penalties on all criminal convictions would rise by $40. The state fee for attending traffic school would go from $24 to $64, and $2 would be added to fees on parking tickets. The cost of filing civil cases would increase by $25 to $35, depending on the type of case.
"The physical condition of California's courthouses has reached a state of crisis," said Chief Justice Ronald M. George. "Some court buildings are in such desperate shape that they no longer provide a safe and secure environment for conducting everyday court business."
Some courthouses are in danger of collapsing in an earthquake, while others are so crowded that judges conduct court hearings in the parking lot.
George said he toured facilities in Los Angeles and elsewhere and was shocked to see jurors waiting for hours in stairwells where they had to periodically move out of the way as groups of chained prisoners were taken to courtrooms.
In southeast Los Angeles County, conditions were so bad that a judge who is an amateur carpenter ended up building a bench and other furnishings so a restroom and other space could be turned into a courtroom.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) has introduced legislation that would allow $5 billion in bonds to be issued to address the worst 40 of the state's 450 court facilities, including $122 million for construction of a new courthouse for southeast Los Angeles County. The borrowing would be offset by the new fees.
Perata's proposal would require approval by two-thirds of the state Legislature. It would not require voter approval because the new charges would cover the costs.
"Everyone is guaranteed a day in court, but in California that right is jeopardized by inadequate facilities that threaten the safety of everyone in the building," Perata said.
