Judges benefits to remain status quo
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors today voted to extend, through June 30, the county's contract with the Superior Court of California, which provides about $20,000 a year in benefits to county judges.
For the last six months, Third District Supervisor Neil Derry has pushed to eliminate the annual benefits to help shore up the county's budget deficit. It would affect 67 county judges and amount to about $1.4 million in savings to the county through 2015.
Today's board action extends the annual judicial benefits through June 30, 2009. Meanwhile, the board will continue negotiating with the court a new memorandum of understanding for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
In April, a board subcommittee comprised of Chairman Gary Ovitt and Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales was formed to review all services and interactions between the county and the courts.
San Bernardino County Presiding Judge James C. McGuire said he will continue pushing for the continuation of the benefits, which amount to about $1,500 a month for automobile, education and security allowances, among other benefits.
He said San Bernardino County judges have the highest caseloads of any court in the state, and that the court provides many services to the county in return for those benefits.
"If it's justified in anywhere, it's in this county," McGuire said of the benefits.
Derry said the courts may force the county to discontinue the benefits anyway due to a 4th District Court of Appeal ruling in October, which concluded that Los Angeles County's practice of providing benefits to judges was unconstitutional.
A law that goes into effect May 21 gives counties the option of terminating judicial benefits at the end of a judge's current term, but judges must be notified in writing six months in advance.
Derry also says that eliminating the benefits would remove "any perceived or actual conflicts between the Board of Supervisors and the Superior Court."
McGuire has said the court picks up the cost for video arraignments, a $1 million annual savings to the county in the transport of defendants to and from jail for in-person arraignments. In addition, the county is reimbursed by the state a percentage of all collections from traffic citations and other fines and assessments.
Historically, the county has provided various services to the court, including accounting and auditing services by the Auditor/Controller-Recorders Office, court legal advice and representation by County Counsel, traffic fine and misdemeanor collections from the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office, among other services.
Provisions of the contract will be retroactive to July 1, 2008.
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