Court’s Deficit Could Force Staff Furloughs

Orange County’s top judge said Friday that the court system is considering employee work furloughs in an effort to close a more than $7-million budget deficit that threatens to slow judicial operations.

Officials aren’t sure how many workers would be affected by the furlough or how long it would last, but they said the public would likely feel the effects.

“The question is how are we going to keep this ship afloat,” said Kathleen E. O’Leary, presiding judge of Orange County Superior Court. “We will keep it afloat, but it will just be moving slower.”

The Superior Court handles more than 700,000 filings a year, most of them civil lawsuits. O’Leary said those are probably the ones that will suffer first because criminal cases take precedence.

“Instead of waiting three weeks [for a case to be heard], you may have to wait six weeks,” she added.

O’Leary and other officials said they are faced with the shortfall because the state hasn’t provided the court system enough money.

The state has allocated $128.3 million for Orange County courts for the 1998-99 fiscal year, but officials insist they need at least $136.7 million. The state’s current allocation is almost $4 million less than what the court spent last year.

A law signed by Gov. Pete Wilson last year made the state the primary source of funds for the courts. Until now, the courts got most of their money from county government, and judges often accused the Board of Supervisors of not giving them their fair share.

Two years ago, the judges sued the supervisors, seeking more money to hire workers, expand court facilities and improve maintenance. The settlement of that suit provided the courts about $3 million.

O’Leary said the new arrangement is more complicated because the judges must go through layers of state bureaucracy to seek additional funds. Under the old system, she said, “we would just go across the street” to meet with supervisors.

An official from the California Judicial Council, which appropriates funds for the courts, said Friday that the state has received a request from Orange County for additional funds.

“It is under review,” said spokeswoman Lynn Holton.

Meanwhile, court officials are looking for alternatives.

William Brennan, executive officer of fiscal management services for the court, said he is negotiating with the county to receive about $2 million in collection services the courts perform for the county.

Brennan said he is also surveying employees who might be willing to take time off without pay. But he fears such a furlough could slow court operations.

Because of a hiring freeze, there are already 100 unfilled vacancies in the courts. That number is expected to jump to 200 by the end of the year, Brennan said.