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Some counties have their courts closed one day a month. Others do not have enough court rooms. Want justice, stand in line and wait. The wait is worse than the line at the DMV. Lawsuits holding people's lives in limbo for years are at stake. The ability to build a future, create new products or even being able to finance your life is at stake.
"Over a delicious luncheon....a judge from the Alameda County court system spent an hour and a half laying out a series of hard facts and cold realities with regard to courtroom availability in California in general and in Alameda County in particular. "Currently," said the judge, "we are even considering holding trials in broom closets." I think she was joking, er, at least I'm hoping that she was.
"The status of Alameda County's courtrooms is abysmal," stated the judge. "The search for courtrooms has become desperate here. They are currently using the grand jury room, which has posts running down the middle of it. They've also been looking at hallways, a library and the probate examiner's office since the Broussard building has been mostly shut down. They are even moving people from Oakland courthouses down to Fremont and Hayward. There have been 23 moves in all." Fremont is a long freaking distance away from Oakland. It's closer to San Jose than it is Berkeley."
Maybe civil suits should be held in private court rooms with "judges for hire"--a private judicial system. In the private system cases can be held and decided in 90 days or less. In government courts it could take 4-5 years, just for the court trial.
Whether it is education, health care, transportation, sanitation or stadiums, government is a loser of tax dollars and time. This is not just a problem of the Bay Area, it is a California problem.
Since elected officials will not make government efficient, it is up to use. Elect people to office that care about families and jobs, not unions, power and special interests.
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"Over a delicious luncheon....a judge from the Alameda County court system spent an hour and a half laying out a series of hard facts and cold realities with regard to courtroom availability in California in general and in Alameda County in particular. "Currently," said the judge, "we are even considering holding trials in broom closets." I think she was joking, er, at least I'm hoping that she was.
"The status of Alameda County's courtrooms is abysmal," stated the judge. "The search for courtrooms has become desperate here. They are currently using the grand jury room, which has posts running down the middle of it. They've also been looking at hallways, a library and the probate examiner's office since the Broussard building has been mostly shut down. They are even moving people from Oakland courthouses down to Fremont and Hayward. There have been 23 moves in all." Fremont is a long freaking distance away from Oakland. It's closer to San Jose than it is Berkeley."
Maybe civil suits should be held in private court rooms with "judges for hire"--a private judicial system. In the private system cases can be held and decided in 90 days or less. In government courts it could take 4-5 years, just for the court trial.
Whether it is education, health care, transportation, sanitation or stadiums, government is a loser of tax dollars and time. This is not just a problem of the Bay Area, it is a California problem.
Since elected officials will not make government efficient, it is up to use. Elect people to office that care about families and jobs, not unions, power and special interests.
More...