San Mateo County Superior Court to lay off 28 workers

[Stephen Frank]

Government is finally beginning the process of down sizing. The only way we can save the families and jobs of Californians is to cut back the size of government and use technology.

The problem was the incompetence of the court itself in San Mateo. "Court officials initially blamed state budget reductions for the $3.89 million shortfall, then acknowledged internal accounting problems made the budget appear to be balanced, even after absorbing $2 million in state cuts.

Fitton said the court will use money from its reserve fund, which contains $13.5 million, to cover the entire $3.89 million gap in the fiscal year that ended June 30."

For instance, most court filings and perfunctory appearances can be done by computer and the Internet. Cut the postponements and delays in half. Have employees, including judges, work full days.

Lots can be done to save money, if that is a goal. Time for government to downsize

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[DerailAmnesty.com]

All the courthouses in Orange and San Bernardino counties have begun shutting down one weekday per month now (usually a Wednesday in the middle of the calendar month). It is an attempt to bridge part of the 400 million + budget deficit in the state court system.

Lawyers are doing everything possible to avoid scheduling anything for the Thursday that immediately follows b/c the crowded dockets and courtroom crowds are hellish.